Hallucinations
by queenmichelle
Summary: When a mission to find a certain original hybrid leads to Caroline with yet another werewolf bite, Damon & Stefan scour the bustling streets of New Orleans. But with a mysterious new leader for Tripp's squad, Bonnie stuck with a serial killer, Elena still memory-less, and Caroline hallucinating to the brink of insanity, what else could possibly go wrong to our favorite MF Gang? KxC
1. Chapter 1 Fat Chance

**Hello! **

**Welcome to my first (ever) fanfic! Please excuse my lack of experience, but hey, I tried. I'm usually not one to write fanfics (I'm more of a blogger type), but lately I've had this idea for a story that's been rolling around in my head, so I decided to give it a shot! We'll see if that was a good idea or not.**

**ANYWAYS the story takes place in season 6, episode 8 of the Vampire Diaries and season 2 of the Originals. Yes, I watch both shows, but the story will focus more on what's happening in TVD. I haven't been caught up on both, so everything's canon up until Damon returns from the "other side" or wherever the hell he was (because that's the last episode I saw). So let's pretend, for the purposes of this story, that Damon has been back from the "other side" for a couple weeks now and the whole gang is trying to get Elena to regain her memories, not because they actually like Damon, but because they think its for the best. Oh, and Enzo was already saved from Fell and that Asian chick (forgot her name) was killed or something. Idk, I'll decide what I want to do with them later, they're kind of irrelevant in my opinion.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. **

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><p><strong>Chapter I: Fat Chance<strong>

She couldn't remember anything, just the cold wind air that rushed through her blonde locks as the woods blurred past her. It was night-time and darkness should've devoured the light, but the full moon illuminated the sky and howls filled the air. Arms protectively wrapped around her back and legs, kept her body off the ground. Her head laid limp over the hands that held her, weakly she clung to her rescuer while a pungent stench of lake water and pine trees filled her nostrils. _Where was she?_

"Come on, Caroline, stay with me now," Stefan said. His voice was calm as always, but his eyes showed panic.

Caroline looked at Stefan in daze. Why was she being carried? Why were they in the woods? What happened? An array of questions bombarded her heavy mind. There was a strange scent that clouded these woods, an aroma she wasn't accustomed to. They were definitely not in Mystic Falls, nor were they at Whitmore. _So where were they then?_

Caroline could feel herself fading again, fatigue taking its toll.

"Caroline? Caroline!" Stefan frantically looked down at her.

Her eyes were slowly shutting and she knew she was going to black out. But before she could lose consciousness, there were only two things Caroline could remember: Stefan holding her tighter as he sped faster through the winding trees and the agonizing pain of an all too familiar feeling of a werewolf bite.

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><p><strong>Four hours before…<strong>

"Where are we?" asked the blonde walking closely behind her friend.

"The bayou, about four hours away from our destination," her friend replied.

"Well, it stinks and it's disgusting," she said as her boots sunk into the moist ground. She sighed, lifting her shoe to inspect the mucky stain on the heel. _Damn it, these boots were new too… _

When she imagined finally leaving Mystic Falls she thought of traveling the world, going to Rome or Paris (and maybe even Tokyo). But hiking through a swamp was definitely not on her list of touristy places to go. The air was thick from the day's heat and the trees did nothing to keep them cool under the shade. But the sun was finally setting, its rays slowly immersing into the horizon while pink and purple took over the skies.

"We need to feed before we head to New Orleans, we only have a few blood bags left and we can't afford to waste them if we're going survive this trip, Caroline."

"I know, but we've only managed to catch a couple of rabbits. That's hardly a meal, Stefan."

"Well, that's why we're still hunting," Stefan sarcastically replied.

Caroline rolled her eyes. They had been hunting for hours now and they had barely caught anything. Soon the sun would go down and they would no longer have any light.

Just as the moon was taking its place atop the sky, Caroline shivered to herself. It was a full moon tonight, they both knew that. It left them at the mercy of a possible werewolf attack. Although Tyler had informed them that the bayou was completely scarce of any, it brought little relief to Caroline who knew firsthand the sting of werewolf venom. What he didn't tell them was that it was scarce of any life in general (well, besides the vegetation of course). Caroline made a note to herself to yell at Tyler later for not giving them the heads up for the lack of game in these woods, and maybe get him to buy her a new pair of boots.

"You know, you did have the option of staying at Whitmore with Elena. Damon could've accompanied me instead," said Stefan.

"Yeah, and leave you to face Klaus alone, fat chance."

She covered her mouth in embarrassment. _Dejavu_. She definitely did not just quote something she had said to the damned hybrid before. Luckily, Stefan didn't notice her embarrassment. He just kept on walking. Taking her hand off her mouth, she continued to follow him thinking to herself.

Why was she embarrassed? It's not like she had done anything. She had just said something vaguely familiar to a conversation she once had with Klaus. A conversation that had turned into an argument about –_What was it again? Oh yeah_– the "allure of darkness".

_So you've never felt the attraction that comes when someone who is capable of doing terrible things for some reason, cares only about you?_

Caroline shook her head. _Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Stop thinking about him._

She had only agreed to tag along because she wanted to help Elena regain her memories. In most circumstances Caroline would never agree to help Damon win Elena back, but Elena hadn't been the same since she asked Alaric to compel her to forget about her feelings for Damon. And as much as she wanted to barf at the thought of them being together again, she couldn't help but agree that Elena wasn't the same without those memories. Damon suggested that Klaus would probably agree to compel Elena if there was a certain blonde there to persuade him. Once again she had to play the "little blonde distraction" for the gang. But Caroline wasn't sure she was ready to face him, not after–

"Caroline?"

"Uh, yeah," she quickly snapped out of her train of thought.

"You didn't answer my question."

"About what?"

"Why didn't you just contact Klaus? You have his number don't you?" Caroline look away from his gaze, "weren't you the one who called him at graduation."

Technically he didn't answer her calls that day. He ignored her calls all day only to show up right at the nick of time to save her and her friends_. Damned hybrid, he probably did that on purpose._ She figured he was probably laughing to himself after listening to the numerous voice mails she had sent him, each one along the lines of threatening to drag his ass back to Mystic Falls to save Damon's life.

"Um, he didn't answer."

"Oh."

That was a lie. She didn't even bother calling him to help them with Elena. She may have thought about it once or twice, but every time she had picked up her phone and had her thumb hover over his name, she couldn't bring herself to call him.

Though she had succumbed to the handsome hybrid's _allure_, she still wasn't ready to admit to herself that she may have feelings for him. It was hard enough to confess that they even had a connection. But by now, he was probably off ruling his kingdom in New Orleans doing who knows what without her. She had no idea what his whereabouts were, but she tried not to think about it since it always seemed to give her an unsettling reminder that he was moving on.

Caroline was completely lost in her thoughts when she suddenly bumped into Stefan. She took a step back and observed the surrounding area. Nothing.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Shh," he said lifting his index finger.

They both listened in silence, but all they could hear was the crickets that chirped by the lake and coos of the owls that sat atop the trees.

_Craaack. _

The slow crunch of leaves and twigs echoed in the distance. Stefan and Caroline immediately turned their attention towards that direction. The sounds of rustling steps were becoming louder and louder, all in different directions. Moving towards a clearing, Stefan and Caroline stood back-to-back, heads whipping side-to-side anticipating the inevitable. The shadowed figure of a beast stepped into view, the moon revealing its fiery gold eyes. The werewolf's chest heaved gusts of air as it let out a low growl. It was just one werewolf, but Caroline knew the consequences of one bite. The nightmare that one would be plunged into with one nip. Three more wolves showed up behind, then two more, then five more, until they were surrounded. They took a step back. They were being ambushed.

_Shit._ This was not good.

The wolves circled them, stalking around, each one waiting for their opportunity to pounce. Stefan grabbed Caroline's arm to make a run for it, but the wolves snarled revealing their sharp fangs. They were outnumbered. Caroline's heart started to beat faster as she waited to see who was going to make the first move.

"Caroline," Stefan said in a low voice, neither of them looked at each other for fear any sudden movements would provoke an attack.

"Yes, Stefan."

"I'll fight them off while you make a run for the car."

"Are you crazy? Now is not the time to play hero, I am not leaving you with a pack of wolves!"

"I'll be fine, just run back to the car and head to New Orleans to find Klaus."

"No! I refuse to lea–"

Suddenly one of the wolves leaped at Caroline and tackled her to the ground, its claws ripping at her shirt. She grabbed at its neck, keeping it from gnawing at her face.

"Caroline!" Stefan went to pull the beast off her, but two wolves went to attack him. For a second, Caroline was completely consumed with terror as she tried to hold the wolf back. Each time the wolf pushed to snap at her, Caroline tightened her grasp. Finally she manage to twist her hands around the wolf's neck, easily snapping it. Its body drooped and fell over her. Pushing it aside, she got up to help Stefan.

Stefan ruthlessly kicked one against a tree, snapping its spine. Breaking off a branch he impaled the other in the ribcage, digging it deeper and deeper before pulling out. Caroline did the same, grabbing a stray branch she prodded at the wolves that surrounded her, each one trying to bite her legs. One wolf grasped the other end of the branch with its mouth and tried to yank it away, but rather than pulling herself into a battle of tug-of-war, Caroline dragged its body and lifted it off the ground as she circled around so its body crashed into the others. The wolves were sent flying back, fumbling to get back up.

Moving back to her place next to Stefan, she jabbed at the wolves trying to shove them back, but another wolf charged at her. She positioned her weapon to pierce its heart, but it deflected her movements and wrenched the branch away leaving her weaponless. The wolf hungrily grinned at her, saliva dripping from its mouth as it snapped the branch in half.

The beast lunged at her, but using her arm, she plunged it into the wolf's chest and ripped out its heart. Blood seeped down her arm as she held the heart in her fist. As she threw its body to the side, she saw a wolf moving behind to attack Stefan.

Caroline screamed, "Stefan, watch out!" She swiftly pushed him away just as the wolf was about to bite, but only to feel its sharp fangs pierce her flesh. She crashed to the ground, her breath knocked out of her chest. The wolf bite left a deep and gaping wound on her side. Caroline yelped when she felt the venom start to burn her skin. The wolf that had attacked her glowered over her in rage. Stefan dashed to her side before it could tear her apart, pushing the beast away. He lifted her up and bolted as soon as she was securely in his arms.

Zooming through the trees, Stefan tried to put as much distance as possible between them and the wolves. He stopped once they were miles away, but he could still hear the werewolves howling.

"Caroline, are you okay?" He studied her body for any injuries before seeing the bite on her side. He scowled. Her blouse was completely shredded and blood oozed from her wound. Caroline whimpered, "It's okay, it's okay. We're going to find Klaus and he'll heal you, okay, Caroline?"

Stefan tried to hush her, but she the sting of the venom was ripping through her skin. Stefan went to run towards the direction of New Orleans when he stumbled upon the wolves again. They stood in a line, growling as they moved in unison. It was as if they were blocking him from entering the city. They barked at him, daring him to try to pass them.

Desperate to save Caroline he wanted to bring her to Klaus, but he feared leading the wolves to a town full of humans would cause a massacre. So taking one last glance towards New Orleans, he turned away and sped towards the direction he had left his car to head back to Virginia.

He needed to contact his brother. This was going to be a problem.

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><p>Stefan barged into Elena's dorm room with Caroline slung in his arms.<p>

"Caroline!" Elena rushed to his side and studied her friend, "Is she okay?"

"She's just resting right now, but I don't know how much longer she'll last after a bite like that," he confessed. Stefan walked over to the bed and set Caroline down.

After he miraculously escaped the pack of werewolves and managed to get into his car, the first thing he did was call Damon and notified him of the situation. In turn, Damon let the gang know of what happened and they all agreed to meet at Whitmore College.

"How did this even happen?" Matt asked.

"We were out hunting in the bayou when we were ambushed by a pack of werewolves."

"Tyler, I thought you said the bayou was abandoned."

Tyler raised his hands up in defense, "It was when I went. There were just a bunch of empty trailers and a creepy old cabin."

"Well, obviously not because now Blondie here is dying. What is this, the fifth time she's been bitten?" said Damon.

"Third time," Caroline corrected finally coming to her senses. They all turned to look at her in surprise. Struggling to sit up, Elena helped her lean against the bed frame. Caroline nodded to her brunette friend that she was fine.

"Third time, my bad," Damon continued, "Now we have more of a reason to find Klaus, we need his blood to save Caroline."

Elena turned to him with a frown, "Why were you guys looking for him in the first place? Unless you're asking for your death wish."

Stefan and Damon exchanged awkward looks at each other, both of them silently arguing who should tell her. But Elena studied them both and it suddenly clicked.

"You guys are trying to get Klaus to compel me back my memories, aren't you," she angrily declared. Based on their guilty expressions and the fact that they didn't even try to reject it confirmed her suspicions. "I knew it."

"Let me explai–"

"What's there to explain, Damon? I know what you guys are trying to do," Elena stood up, furiously facing them, "I told you, I didn't want those memories back. Why can't you guys just respect my decision?"

"Well, what about that night we waited outside the Mystic Falls border?" Caroline croaked. Elena paused and turned to look at her. "You told me you wanted your memories back."

Damon was taken a back, this was the first time he's heard of this.

"Well," Elena struggled to find an excuse, "I've changed my mind."

"That was before I told you Alaric was no longer an original vampire."

Damon was shocked that the blonde was supporting him. He vaguely remembered her being completely against his and Elena's relationship from the beginning, so it came to a surprise that Caroline actually wanted her friend to regain her memories with him.

"So, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that, as your best friend, I don't think you're being true to yourself by forgetting about what you had with him. And that you're not the same unless you're in love with Damon."

Elena had a hurt look on her face as if she had been betrayed. But sometimes Caroline had to be blunt for the sake of her friend.

"Caroline, of all people, I thought you would be the one by my side. Weren't you the one who didn't appro–"

Caroline winced in pain when her arm brushed against her wound. She folded over to hide her discomfort, but tears were welling up in her eyes as she whimpered.

"Can we please talk about this some other time," Matt insisted, "We need to find Klaus so he can heal her."

"Alright fine, Stefan and I will drive back to New Orleans and go look for him," Damon proposed.

"No. Driving's too slow and she's had the venom in her system for 20 hours by now. She probably has a until tomorrow night, we'll go by plane," Stefan said.

"I'm going with you," Elena declared.

"Whoa there, you are not going anywhere," Damon stepped in front of her.

"I'm a vampire, Damon, I can take care of myself," Elena side-stepped him and headed to the door, but Damon grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"And risk Klaus capturing you and finding some witchy way to turn you back into a human so he can use your blood, I don't think so."

"Well, you don't make decisions for me, Damon," trying to shake herself free from his grasp.

"Damon's right, Elena. It'd be better if you stayed," Stefan cut in, "We need someone to watch over Caroline and make sure she doesn't leave this room when the hallucinations kick in."

Elena frowned. She looked at both Salvatores before sighing in defeat, "Fine, but you guys better call me and let me know what's going on." Elena yanked her arm away and took her place next to Caroline once more.

"How do we even know Klaus will come? There's nothing he could gain from helping us?" questioned Matt.

"He's obsessed with her, remember," Damon blurted, "He'll take any excuse to see her."

Tyler shifted uncomfortably. What Damon and the rest of the gang didn't know was the little promise Klaus had made to the blonde.

_I will walk away and I will never come back. **I promise. **_

"Well, if that's all, we better get going," Stefan interjected, "We'll call you when we arrive in New Orleans, okay?"

Elena nodded and watched as they left. Once the door shut and it was just the three of them left, Elena turned to study her friend's condition. Caroline was exhausted, the pain was eating away at her. Sweat beads rolled down her head. Taking the bed covers, Elena wrapped them over Caroline's shoulder and softly rubbed her arm.

"I'm so sorry, Caroline," she whispered, Caroline's eyes slowly started to shut, "Everything's going to be okay."

Caroline nodded before everything faded to black. It was time. _Let the nightmare begin._

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><p><strong>Forgive me if this chapter was boring, I had to set up the whole story line for you guys before jumping right into it. <strong>**But if you haven't already guessed, this story surrounds Caroline's hallucinations! I've always wondered what she hallucinated when she was bitten, I mean, in the show we got to see what Damon and Rose hallucinated, why not Caroline? Heck, we even got to see what Elijah hallucinated in TO. For crying out loud, the girl was bitten twice and we never even got to see a glimpse of what she saw! **

**So there you have it, my big idea. Hopefully everything plays out well the way I want it to. But before I go I'll leave you with one question: **

_What do you think Caroline will hallucinate?_

****Please review and share! I'd love to receive feedback on how to improve my writing!****


	2. Chapter 2 Take A Chance, Caroline

**Wow, that was quick. Already have another chapter out. I should probably slow it down a little until I actually finish planning ahead. By all means, don't expect me to update this quick. I'm usually busy with school and work, but I was literally jittery in class today because I just wanted to write more. I even came up with more ideas for the plot! Hurrah! So this chapter is mainly focused on one of Caroline's hallucinations, after all, the story is titled "Hallucinations". Please excuse me for any inaccuracies in the places I mention or the way I portray events, there are a lot things I haven't experienced and places I've never been to. All I can rely on is research and what I get from people who've actually experienced what I choose to write about. But enjoy!**

****Special Thanks to The Tomboy in Pink, sandiw1875, Dollfacde129, & LoveDria (happy belated birthday btw) for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. If I did, Klaus and Caroline would be together by now.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Take a Chance, Caroline<strong>

Caroline woke with a start. She was in her own bedroom. The familiar walls washed with bright yellow paint, while the wooden shelves were filled with an assortment of stuffed animals and picture books. Although the blinds were closed shut, Caroline could tell it was night-time. Shadows hid in the corners as the slits of moonlight illuminated through the folds of the window.

Something wasn't right. There was no way she could be in Mystic Falls, she had just been in Elena's dorm room. _What is going on?_ Rubbing her eyes, she tried to wipe away her drowsiness, but pulling her hands away, she grimaced. Her hands were small. Frantically pulling her covers off, she observed the rest of her body. She was in plaid baby blue pajama pants and a pink shirt with a sparkly unicorn on it. _What_. She hadn't worn these since she was a kid.

She pulled at the end of the shirt, checking her side for any sign of the bite, but all there was her pale white skin. Nothing.

"Bill! BILL!" she heard someone scream.

Caroline jumped at the sound of her mother's voice. Scrambling out of her covers to set her tiny feet on the ground, she climbed out of bed, letting her toes dig into the wool carpet. It was cold outside of the comforts of her own bed. She shivered and grabbed her hello kitty robe hanging on her chair. Instinctively, she took one of the stuffed animals from her shelf and held it close as she slowly walked towards the door. Light seeped from underneath, but she could see the shadows of her mom standing on the other side.

"BILL!" Liz screamed again.

"What, Liz!" Caroline immediately recognized her father's voice.

Placing her ear against the door, she silently listened.

"You can't leave me!" her mom begged.

Caroline grasped the cold door knob and turned it slowly. Slightly opening the door, she peaked through the crack. Liz was dressed in denim jeans with a white blouse and cardigan. Caroline couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mom in normal attire, she was so accustomed to her usual uniform.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore, Liz!" turning away, Bill hurriedly went down the stairs.

Liz followed him, "What about the council, Bill? They need you."

Caroline opened the door more and squeezed her way through so she could see what was happening. _Why was mommy and daddy fighting? _She hid behind the stair case and watched through the indents of what was conspiring. Her dad was dressed in a maroon button up with a black coat, and khaki pants.

Facing his wife again, there was a look of hurt on Bill's face, "You of all people know I never wanted to be a part of all this."

"I know, Bill, I know," she whispered, "But it's your duty as a member of the Founding Families."

It pained him to hear her say that, reiterating the same words his parents and elders had said to him since he became of age, "I'm sorry, but I want nothing to do with them."

"So what," tears starting to roll from her eyes, "You're just going to leave me here to take up your responsibilities so you can run off and start a new life with another man?"

"I never wanted this to happen, Liz! You know that! But after the things I've learned and the things I've seen, I…" he closed his eyes and shuddered, "I-I don't want any part in the Council any longer."

"Well, what about your family, huh? What about us," tears were streaming down her face as she barely whispered, "What about Caroline…"

Bill sighed, guilt overwhelming him as the strong woman he once loved was falling apart before him. _What of his blonde angel? What would become of her? _"I can't protect her anymore, only you can." He turned to swiftly walk out the door.

"BILL! Please! Please don't leave us! We need you, she needs you!" Liz wailed.

Turning, he placed both hands on either side of his wife's face and looked straight into her eyes, "You listen to me. The council will come looking for her one day, asking her to join them. But you, you keep her from all this as long as possible. You will take my place as the Keeper and you will never tell her of what the council has in their possession, you understand me?"

Liz nodded trying to hold back further tears.

Taking one hand away from her face, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with an intricate key at the end. He took Liz's hands and placed the key in it before wrapping her fingers around it. "The council will want me dead when I leave, they will come looking for this. So when I'm gone, go back to the council and show them this key, and they will know you have taken my place. Protect it with your life."

He let go of her trembling hands and headed to the door. Picking up his box belongings, he disappeared from her sight. The sound of an engine running reverberated through the empty hall as the car pulled away from the driveway. Liz crumbled to her knees holding the key in her hands, sobbing at the open door.

Caroline came running down the stairs, nearly tripping over her feet. She looked down at her mother who continued to cry. There was nothing more that Caroline wanted to do but comfort her mother. She could fix this. She just had to.

She left her mother's side and ran out the door and into the street chasing her father's car. Her feet pounded the slippery cement, bits of rubble scraping her bare feet. But the faster she ran, the further the car went until it finally disappeared into oblivion. She stopped running, her feet bleeding from grating them on the concrete. She stood there in silence.

The cool night air whisked through her shivering body, but Caroline swore she couldn't feel anything, not the scratches that covered her heels, nor the damp ends of her favorite pajama pants. She couldn't feel anything. She was numb.

She barely whispered, "Please, don't leave me."

_Why couldn't she fix this? Why couldn't she stop this? Why couldn't she control this?_

But she knew the answer, she had known it all along. It had sat in the back of her mind, gnawing away at what little happiness she had left.

The fact of the matter was: she wasn't strong enough.

She was just a girl who's perfect little picture of a family was falling apart, and no amount of wishing could bring it back together. That family portrait was shattered the moment her father walked out that door and left.

She felt alone. Suddenly all her hopes and dreams of growing up with both her parents were bashed. No longer could she picture herself introducing her first boyfriend to her dad anymore because he wouldn't be there to give her "the talk". No longer could she dream of going to any father-daughter dances with him because he wouldn't be there to sweep her off her feet. No longer could she imagine crying into her father's shoulder when a boy broke her heart because he wouldn't be there to hold her.

He wouldn't be there when she was crowned Miss Mystic Falls. He wouldn't be there to take her prom pictures and tell her how beautiful she was. He wouldn't be there to congratulate her on graduation. He wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. He wouldn't be there, he wouldn't be there at all.

A sense of uselessness and abandonment overwhelmed her. Somehow her presence wasn't enough to make her father stay, wasn't enough for him to keep loving her mom. She just wasn't enough.

Her mouth quivered and her vision blurred. She tried so hard to keep herself from crying, she tried so damn hard.

Suddenly, she was reminded of all those times she was stuck home alone. Coming back home from school with no one to greet her because her mom was working a double-shift, eating breakfast and dinner at an empty dinner table, and tucking herself to sleep with only the darkness to keep her company.

_Damn these human feelings. _

Caroline slumped onto the pavement and cried. She hated herself for crying. Crying made her feel weak, made her feel worthless. No matter how hard she tried to stop the tears, they just kept flowing. _Why. Why. Why. Why_. She covered her face with shaking hands, willing her tears to stop.

"Stop crying," she whispered in a shaky voice.

"Stop crying," she repeated louder.

Her anger grew, rage consuming her until she finally screamed, "STOP CRYING!"

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><p>The sound of a car horn rung as it rushed by.<p>

"Caroline!" the familiar sound of his voice echoed in her ears.

Taking her hands off her face she looked around at her surroundings, she was just outside the Mystic Grill. The air was cold, but she was dressed in a black pea coat, warm stockings, and boots. _What._

Irritated and confused, she turned to face him, "Are you serious? Take a hint." She turned her heel and continued strutting away. _How could he be so persistent?_

He followed close behind, "Don't be mad love, we had a little spat."_Wait. Didn't they already have this conversation alrea-_

"I'm over it already," he said.

She decided to play along with this bizarre rerun of a past conversation, and in the sassiest tone she could muster, she said, "Awh, well I'm not."

"Well, how can I acquit myself?" he said finally coming to a stop as Caroline took two small steps before facing him again.

"You, and your expensive jewelry, and romantic drawings can leave me alone."

She turned to walk away but stopped when he spoke, "Oh, come one. Take a chance, Caroline." She looked at him incredulously.

"Talk to me," he jumped to take a seat on a nearby bench and motioned her to join him.

"Come on, get to know me."

She continued to look at him disapprovingly, he grinned, "I dare you."

She raised her eyebrows and scoffed at him. _Really?_ He squinted his eyes and his grin grew wider as they exchanged looks before giving in, "Fine."

Taking a seat, she glanced at him. He looked at her intensely. She felt awkward and uncomfortable not sure how this was going to play out. She only agreed to play the "little blonde distraction" to help her friends, any excuse to curl her hair and put a little more effort in her make-up. Not that she was trying to impress someone or anything, but y'know. But unfortunately, she didn't think this far ahead. _What should she even say? What the hell do you talk about with a thousand-year old vampire? And why was he looking at her like that?_

She tried to avoid his gaze, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

_There. That was easy. Make him start the conversation_.

"I want to talk about you." She laughed."Your hopes, your dreams, everything you want in life."

She looked at him again, Klaus still staring at her intently and replied, "Just to be clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

"Well, that's why I like you," he smiled.

This time Caroline couldn't stop herself from smiling, she looked down then back at his piercing blue eyes. She would've drowned in them forever before she caught herself.

"Anyways, you answer first," she declared.

He laughed to himself at how she had avoided commenting on his remark, then responded, "Well, I hope to have a growing army of loyal hybrids at my disposal."

"Why am I not surprised," she muttered. _What an egotistical maniac_.

"Well, you asked."

"No, technically, you asked actually," she retorted.

He smiled, "I know."

She turned away from his gaze again, she was strangely too comfortable having this conversation with him. She definitely did not expect that. Turning back to him she then asked, "So, there's really nothing more in life that you want?"

He was intrigued by her curiosity. "I'm a thousand years old, love. I've traveled the world 100 times over and I've met the most influential people throughout the centuries. The only things I've ever wanted, I have now: my hybrid curse broken, the end of my father's quest to kill me, and my family reunited."

A pang of guilt ran through her as she was reminded that her friends were conspiring to kill his brother. She smiled weakly, "So that's it?"

"Well," he looked away from her for a moment before turning back with a smirk on his face, "All I need left is a queen."

She rolled her eyes. _Oh God. Cheesy, much?_ That remark was almost as bad as his princess line at the ball. But he seemed amused by her reaction, not hurt like the night before.

"I believe it's your turn to answer, love."

She pondered for a moment on her response, "Well, I already won Miss Mystic Falls and I'm already captain of the cheer leading squad. So I guess now, I just want to go to prom and graduate high school."

Klaus laughed at her trivial human desires, "And what do you plan to do after that?"

She frowned, he was mocking her, "Go to college, of course."

"And after that?"

"Get a job."

"And then?"

"I don't know! I haven't planned that far ahead yet," she huffed, irritated by his prying. It didn't help that his grin only grew bigger.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you have an eternity to figure that all out then," he teased.

"I guess," she sighed, they sat there in silence for a moment, allowing themselves to think to themselves. As weird as it was, she didn't mind sitting alone with the hybrid. Though she still didn't understand why he had an interest in her, she was flattered by the degree of attention he showered her.

She finally spoke again, "What's it like?"

He gazed back at her, she was staring up at the stars, "What's what like, love?"

She turned her attention back to him, "I mean, what's it like outside of here?"

He saw the genuine interest in her eyes and smiled, "Well, it depends where you're referring to."

"New York."

She slightly positioned her body so it was facing him, this way she could listen to everything he had to say. He noticed the slight change in her position and did the same, resting his arm on the back of the bench.

"Well," he told her about how the sky was illuminated by the tall buildings and the flashing billboards, after all, it was called 'the city that never sleeps'. He told her about how every New Years, the streets are flooded with people just to watch the colorful exploding fireworks and the confetti that showered the streets. He talked about Grand Central Park and the various sculptures that were scattered around. He told her about how he was there when the Empire State Building had first opened.

"How about California?"

He went on and on about the beaches and the ocean, something Caroline had never even seen before. How he used to watch the sunsets from atop the Hollywood sign. He told her about the Redwood Forests, how they stood taller than the Mystic Falls Clock Tower, and how one night, Rebekah and he had climbed to the very top of one just to get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The conversation continued like that for the rest of the evening. Caroline would ask about another place and Klaus would ramble on about it from the food he's tasted, the music he's listened to, the people he's met, and the art he's seen. All the while, Caroline would be completely engrossed in his words. Clinging onto every word he said, trying to imagine everything he talked about as if she had stood there with him to experience it all.

"So I guess you can add all those places to your 'Vampire To Do List', love" he smiled.

Caroline giggled, "I guess I should."

"Then it's settled," she looked at him questionably, "I'll take you to show the world."

"Whoa there, mister, I still have prom and graduation, remember?"

"And college and a job that you're not completely sure of yet," he teased.

"Exactly," she said matter-of-factly, "So until then, I am not going anywhere with you."

She blushed when she realized she had just promised to let him show her the world one day. Hopefully he didn't notice.

But of course he did judging by the ever-growing grin on his face, "Well, I look forward to it."

She wanted to wipe that silly grin off his face before she realized she too was smiling. She quickly turned away from him and thought:_ Hmm, me too_.

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it, the end of chapter two! I realize these chapters are kind of short... I'm not too fantastic at super fluffy and very descriptive writing, but I'll work on it.<strong>

** Personally, I don't know what it's like to have your parents divorced, but I tried to write it from one of my friend's perspective when it happened to them. That is to say, I do not think it's ever the child's fault when their parents divorce.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed a little reminiscing of the Klaroline Moment on the bench. I always wondered what they talked about before Klaus freaked out when his brother get stabbed. Such a perfect moment ruined.. *sobs* **

**Anyways, here's another question to ponder about before the next chapter:**

What do you think the Council has in their possession that's so important that it has to be locked up?

**DUN. DUN. DUUUUUN. **

****Feel free to review and share, I love receiving feedback!****


	3. Chapter 3 Aspire, Inspire, & Perspire

**I told you guys I wouldn't update as quickly as I did with the last chapter... But here I am juggling two jobs and finals week, and I still manage to update within a week *flips hair I'm just that amazing. **

**Just kidding.**

**So I'm almost all caught up on TVD. I've altered the previous chapters a little so it follows what we already currently know, but there weren't any major changes, so you guys don't have to reread them. I don't think I'll write about the whereabouts in NOLA until I catch up on the new season of TO, I hate straying too far away from canon. But don't worry, we'll get to see what happens during Damon and Stefan's little adventure in the French Quarter eventually. **

**Enough rambling. Go read!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Aspire, Inspire, and Perspire<strong>

The Louis Armstrong Airport stood just 11 miles west of the bustling city of New Orléans, Louisiana. The Salvatore brothers stepped out from the plane and trudged into the entry way of the airport. The roof stood high with a concave interior, glass window panes encircled the center where the ceiling made a dome-shape. Navy blue chairs aligned in rows were filled with waiting passengers. Sunlight shined down from the glass as people rushed by, determined to reach their destinations.

Quickly maneuvering their way through the crowds of people, Damon and Stefan hastily went down the metal escalators. They didn't bother bringing any luggage because they weren't planning to stay long in the first place. The plan was simple: find Klaus, and bring him to Whitmore to heal Caroline and bring back Elena's memories.

When they finally exited the doors where a colorful mosaic greeted them, they stepped out onto the street and took a good look at what was ahead of them. The streets were packed with people, shops lined the sidewalks, and traffic on the roads. Damon and Stefan looked at each other taking in the immensity of New Orléans. _How could they possibly find Klaus in all this?_

"So where to first, brother?" asked Damon.

"I have no idea."

* * *

><p>Elena came back to her dorm room with a handful of blankets in her arms. She set them gently on the edge of Caroline's bed before going back to her friend's side. Caroline was still sleeping.<p>

"How was she?" she asked.

"She was murmuring in her sleep," Matt replied, "But for the most part, she was asleep."

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her while I got more blankets."

Matt nodded, "I don't mind. I know she would've done the same for us."

Elena smiled to herself. He was right, Caroline always put others first. Despite her controlling nature and blunt opinions, there was no doubt that Caroline was selfless, something she came to acquire after becoming a vampire. Elena could see it. Ever since Caroline turned, she was stronger, braver, and more caring. It only strengthened their friendship, but it saddened her to think about how many times Caroline was pulled into these terrible situations. Elena couldn't help but blame herself. She recounted all the times Caroline was put in danger to protect her. She had endured far too many torture sessions and werewolf bites for a life time (granted, she was a vampire).

She softly rested her palm on Caroline's forehead. Despite the sweat beads covering her face, Caroline's skin was cold. _Poor, Caroline._ Picking up a blanket, she proceeded to wrap it around Caroline's shoulders.

"Did you get a hold of Sheriff Forbes?" she asked, the sheriff had to be notified about her daughter.

"Yeah, she said she'd be over here as soon as she could," Matt replied, "She's been preoccupied looking into the vampire hunting group that Trip was in."

"Did she find anything?"

"So far, nothing."

"It's all so strange. How can there be a vampire hunting task force in Mystic Falls outside of the Council?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Matt breathed, "None of this makes sense. But Trip told me that a vampire compelled him to think he was the reason his wife died until he crossed into the border. But we both know, Mystic Falls hasn't been magic free till this summer, so there's no way it's be going on for that long."

"You're right," Elena thought, "Do you have any idea who might have been working with him?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling it includes a couple of people in the task force, maybe even the trainers."

Elena shuddered, "Keep an eye on them, okay, and gather as much information as you can. We're going to need to know their next move now that they know what we are."

Matt nodded, "I'll try my best."

There was a knock. Elena and Matt looked up when the door opened. Tyler strode in with his gym bag slung over his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" Elena asked.

Tyler chucked the gym bag to Matt, and he pulled the zipper to reveal an assortment of snacks.

"I stopped by the student store and picked up some food after practice. I figured if we were going to be stuck here watching over Care, we might as well have something to eat while we wait for Stefan and Damon."

"Thanks, man."

They started to rummage through the bags of chips, cookies, crackers, and beer bottles. The three of them sat around the room and ate, completely unaware of Caroline's constant torment as the hallucinations continued.

* * *

><p>Caroline jumped. There was a pounding feeling digging into her head. She wailed. Where was she? Her head hurt, as if a nail was being hammered into her skull. Folding over her knees she took sporadic deep breaths. <em>Calm down, Caroline, calm down.<em>

Taking her trembling hands she touched her forehead and yelped. What used to be flawless porcelain skin, was now tarnished with a gaping red hole. Dried blood surrounded the wound. Using her fingers, she dug them into her head and scraped at the bullet that was lodged in her bone. Pulling it free, she held the red mess in her palm and yelped. Dropping it, she sat back and tried to wipe the blood away as her wound healed. The dent in her skull popped back into place and the flesh sewed back together.

Taking a look at her surroundings, she realized she was trapped in a metal cage. Her breathing quickened. _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._ Hurdling forward, she grasped the rails and shook them vigorously. They didn't budge. Spotting a latch at the bottom corner, she squeezed her arm through the bars, frantically trying to reach for the contraption. Stretching out her arm as far she could, she could only manage to barely touch the trigger with her finger tips before she jumped back.

A man sat before her, calmly lounging on a chair with a gun resting in his hands.

"I see you got the bullet out," the man taunted, "That was nasty."

Caroline rigidly sat back, fear taking over.

"I've got lots of wooden bullets," he lifted up his gun, "Lots of little toys."

Caroline frantically tried to think of ways to escape. Maybe she could lure him close enough so she could grab the keys, or kill him. Or maybe she could try breaking the bars, after all, she had vampire strength. Or maybe-

The man had a malicious smile on his face, "It's going to be a long night, sweet pea."

Aiming the gun, he shot her in the chest. Caroline screamed and bent over. The bullet had splintered into one of her ribs, the shards digging at her insides. Taking short breaths, she tried to ignore the pain, but she could hardly breathe without the shards threatening to puncture her lungs.

Trying to concentrate, she listened to what was around her. Maybe she could make out where she was? Focusing her hearing, she closed her eyes. She could make out the sound of a woman's voice outside. _It must be that bitch, Jules._

"You made a mistake, Stefan," threatened Jules, "I'm gonna give you a chance to fix it."

Caroline waited for a response from Stefan hoping he was there, but she only heard the murmurs of his voice over her breathing. She concluded she was on the phone.

"Right here, want proof?" Jules barged into the RV and held the phone out to the man, "He needs proof."

Turning his attention from Jules, the man lifted up his gun again, this time shooting Caroline's shoulder. She screamed, recoiling as the bullet burrowed into her arm.

Jules stormed out of the RV, but Caroline could still hear her talking to Stefan, "I hurt her again, and she's dead. Bring Tyler to me, the clearing by Wickory Falls. You have 20 minutes until she dies."

Crawling to the opposite side of the cage, Caroline tried to distance herself from the man for fear he might shoot her again. She had to get these bullets out to think straight. She wedged her fingers into the places she got shot and pried the bullets out. She squealed when her nails scraped against her open wounds. Dropping the bullets down to the metal flooring, she hopelessly looked at the man before her.

He had a stone, cold look on his face. His eyes screamed disgust and hatred for her kind, and she could see he wanted nothing more than to kill her.

She knew she was going to die.

She gripped at the bars, crying to her herself. She kicked at them, kicking them so hard that the cage shook under her desperation to get out.

"So how many vampires are in this town anyways," he asked leaning towards her.

Caroline looked at him hesitantly. There was no way she was going to rat out her friends, but she knew if she didn't say anything he'd just continue to torture her. The thought of him introducing her to more of his vampire torture toys absolutely frightened her. But holding her tongue, she pressed her lips together, keeping them shut despite her quivering lips.

The man got out of his seat and leaned against the bars before pulling out a green squirt gun. Vervain shot out from its nozzle, seeping into her face. Caroline screamed trying to wipe away the pain, but the vervain just burned her hands too. The vervain dripped down her face, mixing with her tears. He was clearly enjoying this.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she kicked at the door again, "Why are you doing this? WHY?"

Pulling out another contraption, he replies, "You're a vampire, why not?"

She watched him put wooden sticks into what looked like a black straw. He shot the wooden darts and they stabbed into her neck, right above her collar-bone. She screamed again.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he put his ear against the cage.

"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" Caroline mercilessly kicked at the cage, driving her boots into the bars. The man frowned at her and exited the RV, rejoining Jules outside. Caroline tried to reach for the latch again, but with no luck. She had to get out. She just had to. _But how?_ There was no doubt in her mind that they were going to kill her. Werewolves and vampires were sworn enemies by nature, no way were they going to spare her life after they got Tyler.

_Tyler_, she thought. She remembered the look of hate he had earlier that day. He was so furious, so betrayed. He wouldn't come to rescue her, she had lied to him. All of them did. Caroline sat back in her corner and wept. She was going to die.

She wouldn't get to say good-bye to her mom or tell her the truth about what she was. She knew her mother was against vampires and it scared her that her mother might reject her, but Caroline wanted to be honest with her. They were family after all. She wouldn't be able to see her dad ever again. It upset her that she wouldn't be able to ask him why he abandoned them. Why he couldn't stay for her. She wouldn't be able to fix things with Matt. Things were looking up and she would've been able to talk to him after his closing shift if she hadn't been kidnapped. She hadn't even gotten to go to prom, or graduate high school, or decorate a dorm room with her friends. There were just so many things that she had left to do, but she never thought it would be all taken away from her so quickly.

She was trapped and it angered her that even though she was a vampire now, she was still weak.

Making one final blow at the cage, a new wave of tears came. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was strong, ageless, and fearless, it didn't change that she was imprisoned in a cage of her own insecurities and weaknesses. She was no better than the human Caroline. Maybe even worse.

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the cold metal bars, wallowing in her hopelessness. _Why wasn't she strong enough?_

* * *

><p>With her eyes still closed, she could hear her surroundings changing. The eerie silence of the woods was suddenly replaced with the slow hum of an orchestra playing. The familiar tune of Falling Slowly played softly in the background. Caroline could hear the chatter of people talking and the rustling of feet moving. The chirps of birds and the buzz of bees filled her ears until the slow strum of the instruments enveloped her ears.<p>

"Caroline."

She opened her eyes to be met with piercing blue ones. Klaus stood in front of her dressed in a black suit, a tie, and a light grey button up. In one hand he held a bottle of champagne and in the other two glasses. He smirked when he noticed she was checking him out. Her face quickly turned into a frown.

"Someone's tired," he smiled, "Too busy single-handedly running the pageant to sleep, love?"

"Well," she asserted, "If you want something done right, you gotta to do it yourself."

He let out a laugh, "I guess it worked out then, seeing that the pageant is a success. Is it not?"

Caroline over looked the ceremony. Flowers garnished every corner, bottles of champagne were being poured to tinkling glasses, people were dressed up and enjoying themselves, and the sweet melody of the orchestra echoed through out the courtyard. Everything was perfect. Caroline smiled to herself. It was moments like these when she finally got to appreciate what she had created, something that always made her feel accomplished and fulfilled.

"I guess, it did work out," she replied still admiring her work.

Klaus looked at her and admired the woman that stood before him. Wrapped in her intricately designed green dress and perfectly wavy hair, she was nothing less than a queen. An angel sent from kingdom come, with skin the glistened in the sunlight. She was light, she was _his_ goddess. If only she had any idea of what she was capable of, that her talents surpassed these petty events of planning for high school dances and town pageants. She could rule the world with him if she knew just how remarkable she was.

Caroline spotted Tyler sitting at a table talking and laughing with Hayley. She cringed at the sight of them. Even though she knew this was all pretend, it didn't stop a pit of despair from settling inside her. She was painfully reminded of how Tyler had spent a lot of time with Hayley while trying to break his sire bond. Wasn't that how she and Tyler fell in love? Caroline had been there for him from the start after he triggered the werewolf curse, and had stayed by his side, helping him through it all. So who was to say that the same didn't happen between Hayley and Tyler all those nights shifting into a werewolf?

_Stupid human insecurities._

She scowled and looked away, Klaus take a step forward. She looked up at him. Klaus saw the sadness in her eyes. _What had she been thinking about?_

Lifting up the bottle of champagne he offered, "So how about that drink?"

The sadness melted away and she smiled hesitantly._ Was this his own weird way of comforting her?_ She would never get used to how nice he was to her. But turning her attention away from the Tyler and Hayley, she walked ahead of him and he followed.

When they were finally away from the pageant, Caroline slowed her pace allowing Klaus to walk by her side. They trudged through the green grass, following a path along the pond.

"Mind telling me what happened there between you and Elena?" he asked. She clearly didn't want to talk about Tyler and Hayley, so he decided to avoid the conversation.

"Nothing, just the usual Elena and Salvatore brother drama," she groaned.

"I see, the young doppelgänger still has those boys wrapped around her finger," he chuckled, "It must run in the Petrova bloodline to entrance men."

She rolled her eyes, "Must be. In middle school all the boys were crazy for Elena, always asking to go on dates with her. Well, that was until she started dating Matt freshman year."

"I suppose history has a funny way of repeating itself,"Caroline looked at him curiously, "When Elijah and I were still human, we were also in love with a Petrova doppelganger named Tatia."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Oh geez, how'd that go?"

"How do you think it went, love?"

"Oh right, your mom used her blood to turn you into vampires..." _Awkward._ So did that mean he had a thing for Elena or Katherine or..?

"It's okay, love," Klaus chuckled, as if he knew what she was thinking, "I've moved on from the Petrova's enchanting ways."

"Well, Damon and Stefan could learn a thing or two from you."

"I see, and what about you?" she glanced over at him, "Are you always being pursued by men?"

"Me?" she asked surprised, "Oh God no! In middle school, no guy liked me. I was an annoying perfectionist, not to mention a complete control freak."

"Is that so?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I wasn't really nice to people either. I mean, if I hadn't forced Elena to build a Barbie castle with me when we were younger, we probably wouldn't have become friends. She was the only one who could tolerate me…"

She trailed off when she realized she was saying too much. When the hell did she start opening up about her past to him? More importantly, when did she start getting comfortable around Klaus?

"I'm sure all those boys probably regret not going after you now."

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him confused, "And why is that?"

He turned back to her, standing inches away and said, "Well, because of how beautiful you are now."

Caroline was shocked, she struggled to form words. She just held her mouth shut, not trusting her ability to speak. Instead, she staried dumbfound at him. But he made no move. His eyes just searched hers for a response. The damned hybrid had successfully rendered her speechless, not an easy feat, and now there were too many thoughts rushing through her mind to even answer.

They stood there, gazing at each other, both lost in the other's eyes. She could feel the warmth omitting from his body as he took one step closer. _Oh God_. His lips were centimeters away from hers. Those soft dark lips beckoning her to have come a taste. If she so much as made the slightest movement they would touch and she would be devoured by his charms.

She quickly broke out of her trance and took a step back and replied, "Enough about me, um, we were talking about Elena."

"Ah, yes, Elena," Klaus said slightly disappointed she stepped away, "Judging by your conversation with her, I presume she's fallen for the other Salvatore?"

"I hope not," she groaned, "I don't see how she could! He's selfish, and impulsive, and doesn't think things through! I mean, it's just, as her best friend, it is my duty to warn her when she's making a giant mistake, right? And now she's taking Damon's side on everything."

"So being a vampire has changed her," he offered.

"But being a vampire only amplifies who you already are. It doesn't turn you into a completely different person," she argued.

Klaus replied in a sarcastic tone, "It's very peculiar."

Caroline looked at him questionably, "What's that look for?"

"It'll all make sense eventually," he grinned back at her.

She knew he was hiding something for his own amusement, she just didn't know what. They finally came to a bench resting atop the grassy knoll. An oak tree loomed over it, providing shade from the heat.

"Whatever, just-" she took a seat on the wooden bench, "Just find the cure already."

"I'm working on it," he smiled.

Klaus sat next to her, leaving some room between them. Setting the glasses down, he started to open the champagne bottle. Caroline looked at him, wondering how she should continue their conversation.

Hesitantly, she turned back to him and asked, "Would you ever take it?"  
>"Now why would I want to cure myself of being the most powerful creature on the planet, hm?"<p>

She wasn't convinced, "So there's not one single moment in your whole life you wanted to be human?"

_POP!_ The lid flew and Klaus proceeded to fill a glass with champagne, "How about you?"

"Oh yeah, and go back to being the neurotic control freak I was before?" she laughed, "I think I'm doing everyone a favor by being a vampire. At least this way I can control myself."

Klaus chuckled as he handed her a glass of champagne, they clinked their glasses together before taking a sip. Sitting in comfortable silence, they enjoyed the view of the pond.

"Life used to be a lot easier," Klaus got up from the bench, Caroline looked at him confused. _What the hell was he doing this time?_

"Don't you miss the days of," pulling out a piece of paper from his jacket he read aloud, "'Chair of the Mystic Falls Beautification Committee' and the 'Director of the Policeman's Yearly Raffle.'"

Caroline's eyes grew wide, horrified when she realized what he was reading.

"Is that my Miss Mystic application? Where did you get that?" she demanded.

Standing up she tried to grab it from him, but only managed to smack it out of his hands.

She was embarrassed, for whatever reason, she didn't want the hybrid to look at her work. Not that she was trying to maintain a facade around him, she knew he liked her, so this was probably his way of getting under her skin. But really? Her Miss Mystic application of all things?

He caught the wrinkled piece of paper and continued reading in a mocking tone, "'When I am chosen, I intend to redefine excellence.'"

Caroline ran her hand through her hair in frustration. _How did he even manage to get his hands on her application? It was supposed to be locked up at City Hall._

"Now I'm really enjoying your use of 'when' here. It's very confident," she turned to him and nodded, ready to beat the crap out of the damned hybrid until he gave her back her application.

He was enjoying her embarrassment, "'And above all, I promise to aspire, inspire, and perspire…" Caroline put her hands on her hips trying to preserve what little dignity she had left, "Obviously, we found a shortage of words ending in 'spire'."

"Yeah, it's hilarious!" Caroline lunged at him again, determined to burn that application in the fiery depths hell when she had it in her possession, "It's just–"

Klaus outstretched his arm so it was just out of her reach. They exchanged looks at each other, both waiting for the other to make a move.

A smile was creeping up on the corners of Caroline's lips. Suddenly the thought of Klaus going out of his way to break into the town office to retrieve a copy of her Miss Mystic application seemed silly to her. Caroline laughed, she tried to cover it with her hand, but when she looked back at Klaus, who was laughing with her, she couldn't help but imagine him rummaging through file drawers trying to find her application.

She couldn't contain it, she laughed some more, taking a seat back on the bench. It was hard to believe this was the same guy who mercilessly slaughtered Katherine's family for revenge, who killed her best friend in order to perform a ritual for his own selfish needs, and who spitefully killed his failed hybrids. She wanted to hate him, she had every right to. But every time he made her smile, and every time he made her laugh, and every time she caught him looking at her the way he does, she'd forget all about the bad things he's done.

Klaus refilled her glass and his, so while everyone else was enjoying the ceremony, they were enjoying each other's company alone on the grassy knoll sipping champagne and talking about the world.

* * *

><p><strong>And BOOM, the end of Chapter 3! I swear, every time I start to write these chapters, more ideas pop up! Still praying this all works out. <strong>

**I actually had to re-watch the episode for when Caroline was first kidnapped and tortured, had to make sure I was telling things as accurately as possible. Sorry it wasn't any new information like the last hallucination when I made up how I thought Liz and Bill got divorced... **

**Hopefully the transitions between Caroline's bad hallucinations and good ones aren't too terrible. I wanted it to look like every time she had a hallucination of a scarring moment in her life, her mind always turned to the good memories to ease her pain *cough*cough Klaus *cough And yes, you can expect that pattern to continue in this story. **

**As for the second part of her hallucination, this one's literally my favorite Klaroline moment. I just love how cute they are together and GAH, so damn cute.. I also hope you guys enjoyed that little scene when Klaus is standing dangerously close to Caroline. That was a reference to a promo picture for TVD season 4 when Klaus supposedly kissed Caroline, but the scene was removed because "it wasn't romantic enough".. Well, I just made it romantic. So the writers can suck my ass. **

**On side note, here's the Question of the Day:**

Who do you think is running the vampire hunting squad in Mystic Falls?

**I've got one more final tomorrow and then I will have all the time in the world (besides work) to write! So feel free to review or leave feedback, I do enjoy reading what you guys have to say!**

****I created a new twitter account aside from my main one, I'll be posting updates on chapters and such there klarophant FOLLOW MEEE**


	4. Chapter 4 Princess Grace of Monaco

**Wow! Really appreciating the reviews I've been receiving. Keep it up guys, it gives me so much motivation to keep on writing. After finals I went straight into writing this chapter, but I kept reediting it because I felt like it wasn't good enough. **

**BTWs, I'm actually finally caught up on TVD, so I know all the shit that's going down. I won't rant too much up here, but stay tuned for the end to see my response to what's been going on in the show and how it'll affect my story. **

**Anyways, as always.. enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Princess Grace of Monaco<strong>

Tyler, Matt, and Elena sat in a circle on the wooden floorboards. Wrinkled wrappers and empty beer bottles littered the ground. Tyler and Matt passed a crumpled piece of paper back-and-forth, while Elena fidgeted with her phone. Needless to say, they were bored. Still no word from the Salvatore brothers, and Caroline still passed out. This was turning out to be the most boring weekend ever.

Eventually, they resorted to going through Caroline's collection of board games, and after pulling out Monopoly, Clue, and Risk, they settled with a friendly game of Scrabble.

"It's your turn, Matt," Tyler said.

Shuffling the tiles on his stand, Matt pulled out four and placed them on the board. It read: "human". Elena and Tyler frowned at him.

"What," Matt looked back at them, "It's just a word, guys."

Tyler sighed, taking the notepad, he added 10 points to Matt's score.

"Well, in that case," Elena picked up all her tiles and arranged them around the "m" from Matt's to form "vampire".

Matt frowned, "Seriously, Elena."

"What," she shrugged her shoulders, "It's just a word. I believe that's 14 points."

Taking the notepad again, Tyler scribbled 14 points under Elena's score. It was Tyler's turn now, taking his tiles, he used Elena's "e" in and made "werewolf".

Matt and Elena groaned together.

"Hey, hey," Tyler raised his hands up in defense, "It's just a game, guys."

"Yeah," Elena snatched the notepad from him, "And you're only allowed seven tiles on your stand, there's no way you could've spelled out 'werewolf' without having extras."

Tyler rolled his eyes.

"This is such bogus," Matt pushed away his stand, "What's taking Damon and Stefan so long anyways? It's been almost eight hours, and I'm pretty sure Louisiana's only a two-hour flight from here."

"I don't know," Elena sighed, "But they're sure taking their dear sweet time."

There was a knock at the door that made them all turn their heads. _Who could it be?_ Getting up, Elena cautiously walked up to the door and opened a small crack to take a peek.

"Hello, Elena," greeted Liz.

"Sheriff Forbes," Elena said surprised. She opened the door wider.

"May I come in?"

"Um, of course," she held the door out so she could enter.

Liz briskly walked in and immediately spotted Caroline. She rushed to her side. Placing the back of her hand on Caroline's forehead, she checked her temperature. Still cold.

"How long has she been out?"

"Awhile now," Matt answered, "But she's been mumbling a lot in her sleep."

"I see."

Liz inspected her daughter for any further injuries. Pulling the covers gently off and lifting the fold of Caroline's shirt, she cringed as she examined her werewolf bite. Though Elena had thoroughly cleaned the wound, the bite still looked fairly fresh. The inside had a glossy deep red color to it, but the surrounding skin was sickly yellow with grey veins protruding.

Liz pulled Caroline's shirt back down to conceal the wound and turned back to the three teenagers, "Any news from Damon and Stefan?"

"Yeah, we received a call that they arrived in New Orleans about five hours ago," Elena affirmed, "But they said it might take them some time to find Klaus since they don't exactly know where he lives…"

"Really?" said Matt appalled, he turned to Tyler "Don't you know where Klaus lives, didn't you visit him that one time?"

"I told them everything I know," Tyler responded, "I just know he lives somewhere near the French Quarter."

"He probably lives somewhere extravagant," Elena added, "I mean, remember his mansion here?"

While the three of them pondered where they thought Klaus might be, Liz looked back at her daughter lost. How could they possibly find Klaus in time to save her daughter's life? New Orleans was a busy city, it would be nearly impossible to find him. _Where could he be?_

And then she remembered something.

"You guys," Liz interrupted, "I think I know where he is."  
>They all looked at her questionably.<p>

"How?" Tyler asked.

"Before graduation, while Caroline was sending out graduation announcements, she handed me them to bring to the postal office for stamps," the three teens still didn't follow, so she continued, "And while I was putting stamps on each of them, I saw one under Klaus' name."

Elena, Matt, and Tyler exchanged looks of shock.

_Of course_. How could they forget? Klaus had somehow arrived in time to save Stefan, Elena, and Caroline from a band of revenge seeking witches. They knew Caroline had been calling Klaus all day to save Damon, but what she neglected to tell them was that she actually _invited_ him to come to their graduation.

Rummaging through her pocket for a pen, Liz grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling down an address. Of course she never questioned Caroline as to why she had asked the hybrid to come because she knew it would be an awkward conversation that she and Caroline would much rather avoid. But taking special precautions as Caroline's mother and the town sheriff, she had taken the liberty to memorize his address. She wanted to know who to go after if things got bad on her little girl's big night. But strangely enough, graduation night had gone smoothly and Caroline had returned home safely.

When she finished, she held out the piece of paper and Elena took it.

"How did you even manage remember this?"

Liz scoffed.

"When the oldest and most powerful being on the Earth is pursuing your daughter, you take note of where they live," Liz retorted, "Bill may not be here to watch out for any bad boys, but I'm her mother, it's my job to make sure she's safe."

"This is fantastic!" Elena smiled, she pulled out her phone and started to search for Stefan's number.

_RRRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!_

Reaching for her back pocket, Liz pulled out her phone and viewed the caller ID. Turning back to the teens she excused herself, "I have to take this."

They nodded and allowed Liz to exit the room. Liz closed the door behind her and pressed the answer button. Her hands were shaking, but her voice was firm, "Hello."

"Hi, this is Doctor Ross. I'd like to speak to Elizabeth Forbes," said a voice on the other line.

"This is she."

"Hello, Miss Forbes. I just wanted to follow you up on your last appointment."

"Yes, well, I'm a little busy right now," Liz answered in a cold tone.

"I realize that, but after looking through your test results again, we think it'd be best if we start the radiation treatment as soon as possible."

Liz was annoyed, "I am the sheriff. My duty is to the people of this town. I don't have ti–"

"I know, but you need treatment now or you'll die."

The thought had never occurred to her before. She had always been so strong. She knew death was inevitable, but she didn't think it would happen until another thirty, forty years. It was silent on the other end of phone.

"I'm sorry, Miss Forbes. But you need this treatment as soon as possible or your health will worsen. The sooner we start, the more chances we have of stopping it from spreading."

"Fine," Liz swallowed her fear, "I'll be down at the hospital later tonight."

After sorting out scheduling, Liz came back into the room just as Elena got off the phone with Stefan.

"What'd they say?" she asked.

"They're on their way now to the address you gave us," Elena replied, "They said if you're right, then they'll be back by nightfall."

Liz had a small smile, "Well, I've got to head out back to town. Duty calls."

"Well, is there anything you'd like us to do, Sheriff?" Matt asked.

"Call me when Caroline's conscious," Liz said. She started to head towards the door, but took one last glance at her daughter and then back at the three of them, "And make sure Klaus gets his ass here on time to save her life."

Leaving the room, she started to head downstairs and out into the parking lot. She'd have to tell Caroline eventually that after she and Stefan checked her into the hospital after the switch with Trip, the doctor's did a full examination and discovered she was developing a brain tumor. She had been trying to avoid following up on another check-up by busying herself with the investigation on Trip's vampire hunting squad. But she knew she couldn't avoid it any longer.

More often than not, she found herself exhausted and dizzy at work. The doctors had warned her that the symptoms would only worsen if she continued to avoid the treatment she so desperately needed. It would only be a matter of time till…Liz shook her head.

The news would crush Caroline, and she couldn't stand the thought of worrying her so much. She would handle this herself, no use in bringing too much attention. She was the town sheriff after all, it was her duty to protect everyone. She'd find another time to tell Caroline.

She turned the key in the car ignition and the engine came to life.

Pulling out of the parking lot, Liz headed back onto the main road to Mystic Falls. She'd tell Caroline eventually. Just not right now. Not when there was so much to do. Just as her daughter was fighting for her life now, she would too.

She could get through this. She just had to.

* * *

><p>Caroline's eyes fluttered open. There was a throbbing pain in her neck. <em>What's going on?<em> Trying to not to stir from her position, Caroline scanned the room with her eyes trying to recall what happened. Caroline caught her breath when she suddenly remembered: Damon… bit her. Jolting up, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, her fingers brushing past the bite mark.

It was deep, she could still feel the incisions that his teeth made on her soft skin. Dried blood surrounded it. Hesitantly looking to her right side, she took a good look at her attacker. His scruffy dark hair lay in a mess on her pillows, his toned body resting under her bed sheets, his chest silently heaving deep breaths peacefully. How could such a beautiful being be a monster?

She remembered his soft kisses on her stomach, slowly moving up her body. His hands caressing her sides, sliding up and down her in a gentle motion. She was in utter bliss as his soft kisses travelled all over her.

But it happened so fast. One moment she was being mesmerized by his steely blue eyes, and the next she was being consumed by his deep red ones. She would never forget the moment she felt his teeth penetrate into her skin, the moment she realized she was going to die.

She had screamed, but to no avail. Her mom was working late that night, so there was no escape. His teeth dug into her neck, tearing at her perfect skin. The monstrous sound of him sucking her blood only further frightened her. He drained her of her blood, devouring every last bit of her pride. Many times she strained to pry him off, kicking and hitting him as hard as she could. But every time she tried to fight back, he'd respond violently. He mercilessly slammed her against the bed and took everything she had, ripping what little clothing she had left on. His inhuman strength held her down, one arm nailing her hands over her head and the other still stroking the rest of her body while he rammed himself against her in a torturous rhythmic pattern. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She was weak. She was human.

Shaking from the memory, she tried to push it back. She started nibbling on her fingernails in anxiety. She could cry about it later, but she just had to get out of that room. She had to get away from _him_.

She nervously put her feet on the ground, careful not to make a noise. She didn't know what he was, or what he planned to do with her. But all she knew is that she needed to get out there and find help.

Lifting herself off the bed, she tiptoed towards the door. The floorboards creaking under her light steps.

Once she had passed the bed, she checked to see that Damon was still there. He lay fast asleep, still sprawled over her sheets. Choking back her fear, she proceeded to move towards the door. One step at a time, each one heavier than the last.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

Taking her trembling hand, she reached towards the door, slightly twisting the black knob with a creak. Almost instinctively, she felt the need to check that Damon was still there. Turning her head again, she looked at her bed. Empty.

Her heart started to beat faster. _Shit. _She looked back at the door.

"Good morning," he greeted, Damon stood between her and the exit with a smug grin on his face.

Backing up, Caroline held her hands in front of her, shaking them as if they'd protect her from him. He crept forward like lion stalking its prey.

"Please. Don't," her back hit against her drawer, she grabbed the nearest weapon she could to protect herself. A lamp.

"Don't do that," Damon warned, but Caroline lifted it and whacked him as hard as she could, but only managed to further annoy him. She threw the lamp to the ground and jumped across the bed, grabbing a small vase.

"Ah, ah, ah," Damon wagged his index finger. Caroline threw it at him, but he effortlessly dodged it.

She tried to make a run for the door, but he zoomed in front of her way and savagely shoved her back onto the bed. Caroline moved back against the head board reaching for a pillow. She flung it at him, but he easily caught it.

Damon sighed, "This could've gone a completely different way."

_This was it._ Caroline started breathing faster, she was afraid he'd try to have his way with her again. So she braced herself for his next move.

Damon looked down at the blood from the pillow she had thrown. Pulling it up to his nose, he let the sweet scent of her blood envelope his senses. When he pulled it back down, Caroline could see his inflamed eyes hungry for more and his sharp fangs ready to feed. He dashed forward, sinking his teeth into her neck. Caroline screamed, but Damon covered her mouth with his hand as he continued to drink her blood.

Thrashing against him, she squirmed to be free. Damon let go and pinned her against the head board, and looked into her eyes.

"You are going to stop fighting me and become my own walking blood bag of a girlfriend. You will not tell your friends anything, especially not Stefan, and you will hide my bite marks," Damon grabbed one of her scarves and handed it to her, "This'll work. Do you wunderstand?"

Caroline could feel her fear melting away, and felt this urge to do whatever Damon asked of her. Just as Damon's compulsion started to settle, Caroline could feel the last bits of her freedom slipping away. Her control gone.

"I understand," she whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Damon wiped it away with his thumb, "It's okay, it's okay."

Pulling her into an embrace, he lightly kissed her shoulder, then her collar bone, then her neck.

"You'll be fine," he said, licking the dried blood from his bite.

"But after I get what I want" he whispered, still kissing her neck, "I'm going to kill you."

Damon plunged his fangs back into her neck, this time Caroline didn't make a sound. She only repositioned her neck so he could continue to drink her blood. She was screaming inside, but she couldn't find the strength to push him away. So she just laid there as he continued to drink. And the last thing she could remember before she passed out was: _Why am I so weak?_

* * *

><p>"Can I help you, ma'am?" asked a woman at the front desk.<p>

Caroline opened her eyes, and looked around confused. _Where was she this time?_

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

The woman continued to look at her concerned. _Where did her crazy mind take her this time? _The store was full of gowns. _What was she doing in a dress store?_

Shaking her head, Caroline finally gathered her senses, "Um, yeah, I'm fine."

"How can I help you today?"

"Um," Caroline glanced at her phone lock screen to check the date, it was late May._ It must be prom night_. "I'm here to pick up my dress, I guess."

"Alright, can I get a last name please?" the lady pulled up a computer.

"Forbes. Caroline Forbes," she replied.

The woman started to type in her name and then looked back at Caroline suspiciously.

"It looks like it was already got picked up."

"WHAT," Caroline almost yelled, "By who?"

"I can ask the tailor who took it," the woman offered. Caroline nodded, barely containing her anger. The woman came back with a tailor, the exact tailor Caroline had asked to press her dress before.

"What seems to be the problem?" the tailor asked.

"Miss Forbes is here to pick up her dress, but when I looked it up on the computer, it said somebody else already took it," the woman explained.

"Which dress?"

"It's dark magenta with a bow on the back, and it's made of satin–"

"Oh yes, it was picked up earlier today!"

"By who?"

The tailor looked at her blankly, "I don't remember."

"WHAT! How do you not remember who –" Caroline stopped herself, something told her a little brunette bitch ran away with her prom dress, "Never mind."

Caroline stormed out of the dress store and got in her car. Grabbing her phone, she started to furiously text Elena.

**Caroline:** You bitch!

**Elena:** Queen Bitch, at your service.

**Caroline:** Give me back my prom dress!

**Elena:** You mean _my_ prom dress.

_Oh no. She. Didn't. She did not just go there. _

**Caroline:** I'm going to kill you!

**Elena:** That's cute.

"BITCH!" Caroline yelled, hitting her steering wheel.

_Now what. _What the hell was she supposed to wear to prom now?

Throwing her phone back into her bag, she angrily tried to think of two things: 1) Where she could get a last minute dress, and 2) How to murder Elena the next time she saw her.

Rubbing her fingers against her temples, she suppressed the need to go over to Elena's house and beat the shit out of her until she got her dress back. Although she understood her friend had turned her emotions off because of Jeremy's death, it didn't excuse her from being a bitch. I mean, her prom dress, really?

_So what could she wear?_ There had to be something. She could wear her green dress from the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. But that design was _so_ last year. Or maybe she could wear the fancy blue dress Klaus gave her for the ball. But who wears a dress twice? _Wait._

**Klaus. **

The hybrid undoubtedly had a closet full of dresses to choose from. Granted many of them were probably centuries old, there was no doubt in her mind they were most likely high class and expensive. She had to hand it to him, the man had taste.

Caroline wanted to hit herself for coming up with such an idea. After all, she had strictly told him not to call her for help after phone stalking her until she came to help him the other day, and now here she was about to beg him for a dress.

But she was in desperate need for one. It was prom night, possibly the most important night of her life, and he owed her big time anyways.

Shoving the key into the ignition, she drove to the Mikaelson Manor in pursuit of a dress.

Once she arrived at the mansion, she parked her car in front of the roundabout and got out. She stopped on the front steps before knocking. _Shit_. What was she going to say?

_Hey, Klaus. Buddy. Amigo. Could you like give me a dress because my ex-best friend is a back-stabbing bitch and dress stealer? Cool that would awesome. _

Caroline slapped her hand on her forehead.

"That sounded so… dumb…" she muttered.

She looked back at her phone, two hours until prom. _Shit._ She hesitantly knocked on the door and called out, "Klaus?"

No response.

She knocked again, "Klaus?"

Putting her hand on the door knob, she opened it and peaked inside. It was dark inside, as if the whole house was completely abandoned. She took a step inside and started inspecting each room. All the lights were turned off and the rooms were all vacant. _Where could he be?_

She looked up to see a beam of light flickering on top of the winding stairs, so she decided to follow it.

When she made it to the top she called again, "Klaus?"

Still no response.

She walked faster towards the open room where the light came from and called again, "Klau–"

She spotted him standing in front of a fireplace with his arms crossed and his back turned.

"Hello? Did you not hear me?" she said in a sassy tone.

He was ignoring her, perfect.

"Of course I heard you, Caroline. I think the whole of Mystic Falls heard you," he irritably replied, "I am in no mood for company."

She started walking towards him, determined to get what she came for.

"Well, I'm sorry you're having personal issues, but I have a real crisis in my hands," Caroline stated.

Klaus walked closer to the fireplace, trying to avoid her, but she continued, "Elena stole my prom dress!"

He turned to face her this time, uncertain as to how this had anything to do with him.

"I went to pick up, and the tailor said somebody else already did," she explained, "But when I asked who, she said she couldn't remember."

Caroline waited for Klaus to catch on to her thinking, but the hybrid just tilted his head still not understanding what this had to do with anything.

"Hello? The vervain is out of the town water supply," Caroline declared, "She was compelled!"

Klaus burst into laughter when he realized it was just another one of Caroline's silly human problems. She didn't expect that reaction from him. So as she watched him laugh, her face became very serious and asserted in a very angry tone, "It is _not _funny."

"No, I know. I know," Klaus chuckled trying to subdue his need to laugh further.

"Then stop laughing," she demanded.

Klaus pushed his lips together, a smile teasing at his lips as he tried to look back at her without exploding with amusement again.

"Look," she scoffed, "I know prom isn't important to you. But it's important to me."

He moved towards her a little and offered, "Well, I'm sure finding a new dress is well within your substantial vampire capabilities."

Caroline dramatically spun in her spot, "Oh, but I don't just want another dress," she turned back to Klaus with a determined look on her face and said, "I want to look hot, like Princess-Grace-of-Monaco-_**hot**_."

She slowly started to move towards Klaus, a grin growing on his face when he realized where this was going "So, could you please go back into your creepy trophy case of family collectibles, and dig me out something of royal caliber?"

She flashed him her award-winning Miss Mystic Falls smile and there was no way Klaus could turn her down. Klaus smiled and nodded.

"Come with me."

Caroline followed giddily after him as he led her through a maze of rooms. The lights were off, but she could still see the silhouette of his figure. Finally, he stopped and opened the door to a dark room. He flicked on the light switch to reveal a room full of dresses.

_Holy shit._ Caroline was stunned when she saw the walls lined with countless dresses each from different time periods, and each with uniquely diverse designs. There were blacks, golds, silvers, whites, pinks, reds, blues, and greens.

"Take your pick," he encouraged.

Caroline took a step into the room, still in awe. She didn't even know where to begin. She glanced at Klaus unsure if this was okay. Klaus nodded and pulled her to one side of the room so she could take a look at the clothes.

Moving away from him, she started to work her magic. She looked through each dress. Eyeing the fabrics, designs, and colors, and picking out ones she thought had potential. While she scoured the room, Klaus lounged comfortably on a sofa watching her entertained.

When she had an armful of dresses, she turned back to Klaus, "Is there anywhere I can try these on? I just want to make sure they fit."

"You can try them on over there," he pointed across the room where a decorative mahogany wooden folding screen stood with a picture of hydrangeas printed on the outside.

She started heading to the folding screen, but stopped. She glared and said in a threatening tone, "No peaking."

Klaus grinned, but lifted his hands up in defense, "I won't."

With that said, she turned on her heel and went behind the screen. Luckily there was a rack behind where she could set the dresses down while she tried them on. She took off her jacket and slung it over the screen. She started to unbutton her pants, but peaked off the side just to make sure Klaus wasn't trying anything. He was just mindlessly staring at the ceiling. So she pulled down her pants and took off her shirt, letting them fall to the ground.

Klaus could hear her undressing, the tumble of her clothes resting on the ground. It was almost impossible to keep himself from rushing over there and taking the rest of her clothes off. He remembered how stunning her body looked when he was in Tyler's body. That porcelain white skin glowing in the sun, and her kisses… _Oh God, her kisses_. To think they were so close to having "hot hybrid sex" in the woods. _So_ damn close.

No matter, he rather ravish her in his own body anyways, with the _right_ equipment if you know what I mean (wink).

Klaus chuckled to himself.

"What're you laughing at, sicko?" Caroline called from behind the screen.

"Nothing, love."

"Suuuure," she rolled her eyes, "So whose dresses are these? I don't see you wearing them."

"Very funny, love," Klaus said, "But these are actually Rebekah's."

"Well, don't you think she'll kill me if she sees me wearing one of her dresses?" Caroline asked as she slid on the first dress.

It was royal blue and made of satin. It had a slim fit that curved around her body and had a black train that tied with a black bow resting over her chest.

"You're the one who wanted a dress," Klaus insisted, "I will not be held responsible for my sister's actions."

Caroline walked out from behind the screen and frowned at Klaus before going to the mirror to see how it looked on her. Klaus was taken aback, she looked stunning as always.

Caroline shook her head, "It's sexy, but I don't know. I'm not totally in love with it."

She went back behind the screen and shimmied her way out of the dress and into another one.

"Well, if Rebekah kills me, at least I'll die in a pretty dress."

Klaus laughed at that, "If Rebekah kills you, she'll ruin the dress in the process."

Caroline walked out again, this time in a light pink dress. The front had a V-cut, but it didn't hug her hips like the blue dress did. This time it wrapped around her mid torso, where the light chiffon trailed down in two separate layers revealing one naked leg. When she turned to the face the mirror, Klaus noticed the dress was backless, leaving Caroline's back completely bare, with only two measly straps to hold it all together.

Klaus turned away subduing the need to caress her back with his fingers and kiss her shoulder blades with his lips. _Why the hell did he allow his sister to prance around in a dress like that?_ And now Caroline would go strolling around her high school dance wearing that dress. No doubt those prepubescent boys would make googly eyes at her. The thought only angered him. He couldn't allow her to wear that dress, well, not outside his house at least. He had to think quickly, he had to make up an excuse to why she couldn't wear that one.

"Eh," Caroline turned and headed back to the screen, "It's pretty and sexy, but it doesn't scream 'queen'."

Klaus sighed in relief as he heard her take off the dress and try on another.

"I suppose, she would. But maybe she won't mind," Caroline continued, "I mean, it's just one less dress. She has a thousand more left here."

"They're not all hers, y'know?"

"A cross dresser," she said in a mocking tone, "I knew it."

Caroline laughed to herself, while Klaus rolled his eyes. He didn't even bother responding to her accusation. He wasn't about to reveal to her his past indiscretions. Might as well let her think whatever she wanted to.

She walked out again in the final dress she had picked out. It was black. A silver brooch sat below her chest where a silk bow wrapped around her. The dress withered in light ruffles that layered to the floor. It had an old Hollywood flare to it, and it made her look dark and alluring, which Klaus found kind of sexy. But it didn't quite suit her. It didn't match the light of her bubbly personality.

Caroline sighed and fell to the floor, "I give up! I can't find the perfect prom dress."

Klaus stared at her, still not understanding why prom was so important. Of course she looked amazing in all the dresses she tried on, hell, she looked great without them. But for whatever reason, she couldn't see that.

Klaus jumped up from his seat and stood up, "I think I have just the dress."

"What?" she looked at him confused.

He vamped out of the room, and dug into his creepy trove of family collectibles for the perfect dress. When he came back, he held it out to Caroline who was still sitting on the floor confused.

"Put this on," he instructed.

"Why?" she looked at him suspiciously.

"You wanted a dress," Klaus held it out, "Here."

She doubtfully took it from him and went back behind the screen to put it on. Hanging the black dress on the rack, she carefully slipped on the one he gave her. Of course it fit like glove, probably just another one of his creepy Cinderella fetishes.

She examined the gown on her. It was ivory with pearl beading that intricately encircled her whole body. It had a tight strapless bodice, with pearl beading all over the chest area and a brooch resting below it. The dress hugged tightly to her curves, until gradually opening just below her knees where it had a frilly tulle skirt that touched the ground making her look like a mermaid.

Caroline nervously took a step out and noticed Klaus was waiting a few feet away with his back turned.

She cleared her throat, getting his attention as he turned around, "So, how does it look?"  
>Klaus looked at her stunned. He could only manage to spit out, "You look… beautiful."<p>

No, she looked gorgeous. No, she looked more than gorgeous. She looked absolutely stunning. But Klaus was too flabbergasted that he couldn't find the words to say that to her. He was too busy admiring how flawless she looked.

"Don't be ridiculous," she blushed, "I haven't even gotten my hair done or put on my make-up yet."

"Nevertheless," he smiled breathlessly, "You look ravishing in that dress."

She turned to study her reflection in the mirror and finally saw what he did. She did look beautiful. The dress complimented her every curve and was tight in all the right places. It was alluring, but not too revealing. It was glamorous, but not overwhelming. It was _perfect_.

She was almost glad Elena had stolen her original prom dress or she wouldn't have been able to wear this one. _Almost_.

Caroline did a quick princess twirl before facing Klaus again who was still looking at her like she was the Princess Grace of Monaco herself. He took a step toward her so they were inches apart. He lifted his hand, waiting for her to move away, but she didn't. He brushed away a stray hair and wrapped it behind her ear. He lightly touched the side of her face.

He wanted to hold her. He wanted to sweep her off her feet and show her the world. He wanted to show her everything it had to offer. And after he had shown her it, that still wouldn't be enough, he wanted to give it all to her because she deserved it.

Caroline timidly rested her hand on his, taking Klaus by surprise.

He hesitantly inched forward.

He wanted to kiss her. Taking his other hand, he rested it on the other side of her face. Her other hand moving to his chest as if pulling him towards her. They looked at each other, getting lost in each other's eyes.

_What was she doing?_ She was supposed to be with Tyler, and here she was basically having eye sex with the man who killed his mother. She had to get out of here. But oh God, the way he was softly brushing her face and the way he was looking at her, how he always looked at her, made her want to melt. Then, those tantalizing lips luring her for a taste. Just. One. Ki–

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Caroline looked away and rushed to her pants to turn off her phone alarm, and Klaus stepped back disappointed that the moment was ruined. Caroline dug into her pocket and checked the alarm. It said: _One hour till prom! Hurry your ass up!_

"I've got to go," she said as she quickly started to strip behind the screen and put back on her normal clothes, "I've only got one hour to do hair and make-up."

"You can always arrive fashionably late."

Caroline moved out from behind the screen and slipped on her jacket and picked up the dress. She started rushing out the door with Klaus following close behind.

Rushing down the stairs, she asked, "When should I return the dress? I mean, I could stop by tomorrow, but I might be hung over, so don't expect me till the late afternoon."

"You can keep the dress," Klaus said.

Caroline stopped just as she was opening the front door and looked at him in shock, "No, Rebekah will kill me!"

Klaus placed his arm on the door and leaned against it, "She can't kill you if it's not her dress."

"Well, who's dress is it?" she asked.

"That's a long story," he grinned, "But rest assured it was worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. _Reusing pick-up lines. Nice try, Klaus. _

"Well, I guess you'll have to tell me all about it next time," she teased.

There was a sad look in his eyes as if there wasn't going to be a next time.

Klaus quickly snapped out of it and smiled, "You should probably get going, you have another thing to check-off your 'Vampire To Do List'."

Caroline laughed as she walked over to her car and threw the dress onto the passenger's seat next to her. Klaus stood at the bottom of the front door steps as she walked over to the driver's seat and opened the car door. She paused.

She thought about maybe inviting him to go to prom with her. It was the least she could do since he gave her a dress. But he wouldn't want to go to some high school dance with her, would he? She shook her head, of course not. But before she could hop into her car and prepare for the night of her life, she felt like she needed to do something first.

"Something the matter, love?"

"I forgot something," she said, and before he could ask what she vamped up to him and pulled him into a hug.

Klaus didn't know what to do at first. He was still utterly shocked that she was even touching him, but when he finally came to his senses, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He took in the feel of how close her body was against his, how tight her arms were wrapped around him, and how glorious she smelt. He could stay like this for an eternity if he could.

"Thanks," she pulled away, her arms still wrapped around his neck and his around her waist.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he smiled blissfully.

She let go and started heading back to her car, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? So I can drop off the dress!"

"You have a good night, Caroline," he said as she hopped into her car and drove off to celebrate the night of her life. Klaus started heading back inside, but glanced back one last time to look at the direction her car had left and mumbled, "And good-bye" before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>So we have arrived to the long awaited Damon and Caroline scene. I know there's some controversy from fans about whether or not Damon raped her, but in my mind, I think he did. Don't get me wrong, I love Damon (that was before the writers destroyed his character), but in season 1 he was a monster remember? He had no respect for human life. Humans were just walking blood bags that he could feed on whenever he felt like it. For crying out loud, he turned Vicki into a vampire because he was bored! With that said, I still love Damon, and his snarky responses, and his beautiful eyes, and nice body, but for the purposes of this story and Caroline's character development, I think we can agree that Damon took advantage of her. We all know how much Caroline loves to be in control, and in that moment, Damon took that all away from her. <strong>

**But don't you fret, guys. I will redeem Damon's character, I swear it, and Caroline will come out a stronger person when this is all done. I just hated how the writers just swept what happened to her away like it was nothing... no respect for Caroline...**

**Anyways, moving on. How about that Klaroline scene? This was but another scenario that I wondered about after watching TVD, like how did Klaus present her the dress, and what was her reaction, and yadda yadda yadda. I just get so annoyed that the writers left so much out, LEFT SO MUCH POTENTIAL DAMN IT. But yes, this another favorite Klaroline scene of mine. I just love it when they're silly around each other, it's just so damn adorable, guys. I can't even. **

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.

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**Alright, here we go, my reaction to the TVD season 6 mid-season finale.**

**What. In. The. HELL. I cannot stress to you how retcon this whole season is.. like I can't even. How the fuck do the writers stray so far from canon? First things first, Stefan didn't meet Elena and the rest of the gang till their junior year. And yet somehow Stefan gave Caroline a snow globe her freshman year in high school? What about Alaric and Tyler choosing their girlfriends over bringing Bonnie back... oh. my. god. I couldn't stand watching my baby cry on the Gilbert porch. That was just sad. And then, don't even get me started on the whole "vampire-blood-can't-heal-cancer" deal. From season one, we've been shown that vampire blood can miraculously heal any injury, wound, damage, and sickness there possibly is. From Elena's cerebral brain hemorrhage to Jeremy getting shot in the chest. And suddenly, vampire blood can't heal cancer. What the hell is this bullshittery? And the fat that they're using Liz's death as a prop to make Steroline happen only further pisses me off. So let me just make things very clear in my story. **

**I will include all the new information that I've learned from the show, but I will alter it so it less shitty. **

**1) Such as , Liz having cancer. I swear to God, I wrote that she found out she had cancer after Stefan and Caroline dropped her off at the hospital after the thing with Trip before I watched the mid-season finale. So it's an absolute coincidence that I happened to be right. That's just how predictable TVD is becoming. **

**I won't allow Stefan to be the one to tell Caroline though, I think that's something that should strictly be between Caroline and her mom. **

**2) As of right now, Mystic Falls is still possessed by the Traveler's spell. So its still a no vampire zone. I haven't decided how to incorporate Kai and the rest of their weird family into this yet, but I'll think of something that'll fit with my grand master plan, don't you worry. **

**and **

**3) Stefan and Caroline are still only on friendly terms, before he turned into a complete douche bag this season.**

**Also, for whatever reason, I had it in my mind that Bill and Liz divorced when Caroline was much younger, not while she was high school as the last episode suggests. I don't feel like altering it because I feel like it works better this way, so the writers can suck it.**

**I thought about telling you guys who I ship, besides Klaus and Caroline, but then I decided it would spoil the story. This way you guys can keep on wondering who's going to end up with who, while still trying to figure out who's the real enemy here, while also still anticipating when Klaus and Caroline will finally be reunited. **

**How's that for a plot line? BOOM.**

**Anyways, while I still try to sort out the mess that is TVD season 6, you can ponder on this question:**

How do you think Caroline will find out her mom has cancer?

**If I don't upload another chapter before Christmas, I'll just say it now: HAPPY HOLIDAYS GUYS!**

**FUN FACT: The dresses described are actually dresses I own. I didn't have any inspiration to go off of for prom dresses, so I used the ones I own. The blue dress was my back-up dress when the one I originally ordered (the pink one) didn't arrive in time. The black dress was my older sister's prom dress when she was in high school. **

**Feel free to review and leave feedback, I enjoy reading what everyone has to say. **


	5. Chapter 5 I Can't Be Fixed

**HEY! And I'm back again! I get the feeling that I'll probably just post once week, seeing that that's the pattern I've been noticing with myself. I tend to write these chapters in portions, and every time I finish one segment, I start the other, but I always reread everything before that segment and edit. I edit A LOT. That's probably why it takes me so long to update.. my bad. Is it a sin to want perfection?**

**Anyways, thanks for all the reviews! I do take the time to read every single one, some times I even reply to them. I sure do enjoy engaging in some deep TVD/TO/Klaroline conversations, so feel free to message me if you wanna talk! **

**I've also been notified that the last TVD episode had actually three separate flashbacks... my bad, I just figured everything was one flashback judging by the long hair. But obviously I didn't pay attention to the dates on everything or their outfits. That just shows you how observant I am.. whoops. **

****PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!****

**In the hopes of not getting you guys confused, later in the chapter, you will see bold AND italicized text. Those are the things Caroline is hallucinating. Remember, bold AND italicized are Caroline's hallucinations. Just italicized tends to represent the character's thoughts. Hopefully you guys don't get confused.. *crosses fingers**

**Enough rambling, GO READ!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: I Can't Be Fixed<strong>

"Josette, where are they?" a voice echoed.

The scrapping sound of a baseball bat being dragged against the wooden flooring reverberated throughout the house, while the whimpers and screams of innocent people were silenced.

"Oh, Jo. Come out, Jo," the voice cooed, "I know you can hear me."

Jo choked on her blood, a sharp pang on her side. A hunting knife had been plunged into her stomach, leaving a deep gash. She had to remove it and stop him before he could find _them_. She winced in pain as she grasped the handle, yanking it out with a soft sob. Using her hand, she applied pressure to her oozing wound, and grabbed the knife. She pulled herself up and exited the room. She had to find _them_, she had to make sure they were safe from _him_.

Jo straggled into the next room, limping her way through the hallway. Entering another bedroom she spotted them, two kids holding onto each other scared for their lives.

"Josette," the voice continued to call, "Where are they, Jo?"

Walking over to them she tried to assure them in a hushed tone, "Hey. Everything's going to be okay, alright?"

The two kids continued to tremble, not convinced by her words.

"Everybody's just playing a game," she said, "You guys want to play a game? You want to play hide-and-seek?"

They just stared at her.

"Shhh. Okay."

Moving the frightened kids under the bed, she went under and joined them, wrapping her arms protectively around their shoulders. She began to whisper a chant under her breath.

"Come on out, Jo. You know I won't kill you," the voice beckoned.

The sounds of his footsteps came closer and closer.

_Tap. Tap. Tap_.

A pair of converse walked into the room soaked, a trail of blood following behind it. He strode around the room and stopped at the foot of the bed. Jo's heart started to beat faster, making it harder to take breathe silently. As the figure started to walk away, she let out a soft sigh of relief. But then, he returned, his feet facing the bed. He reached down and grasped the bottom of the bed, and flipped it over.

The man stood over her, his face splattered with blood. But the only person under the bed was Jo.

"Where are they?" he threatened in a dark tone. Jo sobbed, she refused to answer him.

Rushing to the closet, he ripped the doors open, rummaging through the mesh of clothes.

Still no one.

He turned back to Jo and screamed, "WHERE ARE THEY?"

But Jo just shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Full of rage, the man took his bat, and began to mercilessly beat her.

* * *

><p>Jo jolted up from her sleep, her heart still beating fast. She sighed in relief when she realized it was just a dream. The sun had just settled underneath the horizon, it must be almost 7 o'clock. She looked down and saw she was still dressed in her work clothes sitting in her office. She must've dozed off while going through hospital files again.<p>

She rubbed her forehead. _Why had she dreamt of that night?_

It had been years since that memory had haunted her weary mind. For years she had suppressed even the thought of going home or facing her family ever again. The remembrance of her own brother slaughtering her siblings and beating her to death made her cringe.

She remembered how it took years for the nightmares to stop, for the vivid images of her brother murdering her brothers and sisters to blur, for the pain on her side to heal. Years of busying herself with medical school and preoccupying her thoughts with countless hospital cases to help her forget, or at least, not think about that dreadful night.

So why now? Why was were the visions coming back? Had she not grown out of her nightmare phase years ago? Had she not fixed the problem since then? Had justice not been served?

These were the questions that haunted Jo. The inkling that maybe the worst wasn't over yet, that maybe the worst had yet to begin.

There was a tap on her office door, pulling Jo away from her thoughts.

"Come in," she called.

Alaric walked into the office with two hot coffees in his hands.

"Now how did I know, I'd find you here," he said with a grin, he offered her a cup, "I thought you might need this."

She smiled and gratefully took it, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he beamed.

"Either there aren't enough papers to grade tonight or there are too many," Jo teased, "Which is it?"

Alaric laughed, "Is it strange to want to spend time with my girlfriend?"

She chuckled to herself. Both of them took a sip of their coffees.

Jo looked at him hesitantly, not sure whether or not she should tell him.

"I had a nightmare," she blurted.

"A little old for nightmares, don't you think?" he teased as he leaned against a file cabinet.

"Well," she started, "When your twin brother kills your siblings and beats you with a metal bat, it tends to scar you for life."

"Oh," Alaric was shocked, he moved over to her and took her hands in his with a concerned look on his face, "Did you want to talk about it or –"

She shook her head. The last thing she needed was his pity. This was something he'd never understand.

"It's just," she paused, "I can't shake this feeling that something bad is about to happen?"

* * *

><p>Elena opened the door for Matt, and then leaned against the door, "Be careful, Matt."<p>

"Don't worry, Elena," Matt assured, "I'll be back in an hour or so. I just need to check-in with the protection squad, they're getting kind of worried that I haven't been with them in a while."

Since Tripp's death, the group of vampire hunters were getting anxious without him. They needed to regroup and decide how to proceed after what had happened with Tripp.

"I get it," she sighed, "It's just scary, y'know?"

Matt nodded.

Nothing seemed to be simple anymore. Before it was graduate high school, go to college, and get a job. But somehow their lives had made a complete 360 their junior year with all the vampires, werewolves, witches, and travelers. Nowadays their future was uncertain, every week there was always some supernatural disaster awaiting them. Nothing was ever simple anymore.

"What if they find out you're friends with a bunch of vampires?"

"They won't, don't worry."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, I mean, with everything's that's been going on with Damon and Stefan looking for Klaus, Caroline with another werewolf bite, and Bonnie gone and all," Elena continued, "Just please take care of yourself."

"I will," he insisted, "I'll be fine, I just need to go meet with them real quick."

Elena finally relented.

"Fine. But be back soon, we still haven't finished our game of Scrabble yet," she teased.

He laughed, "See ya, Elena."

Elena smiled and closed the door behind her.

Matt walked down the stairs and exited the school. Jumping into his truck, he headed back to Mystic Falls. He really hated lying to Elena. Though he was, in fact, meeting up with the protection squad that night, he didn't think he'd be back till later that night.

You see, Matt had been thinking a lot lately. Before Tripp died, he said he wanted to help people like him fight against vampires, help them become strong so they could protect the ones they loved, something he hadn't been able to do when a vampire killed his wife. And when Matt watched Tripp's neck slit open, he was suddenly reminded of the terrors that came with vampires.

Wasn't that how he lost his sister two years ago? Wasn't that how Tyler lost his mom, or how Caroline's father died?

_Vampires._

Vampires had ruined their peaceful town. Vampires were the reason why so many people were listed under animal attacks, why so many people were drained of blood, and why so many bodies were never found. It was all the vampires fault. And for some reason it took Matt having to watch Tripp and Monique die to remember what vampires were capable of: _death_.

And there was one vampire that continuously reminded him of that.

_Enzo. _

The man, if you could even call him that, served as a testament of what little respect vampires had for human lives. He had impulsively killed Monique when trying to provoke answers from Stefan, had spitefully stabbed his childhood friend at a watering hole party, and had turned Tripp into a vampire to exact his sick revenge. He was a monster. Vampires were monsters.

He saw the destruction that vampires wrought. He witnessed it many times with his friends. He saw it when Caroline was being used by Damon as a blood bag. He saw it when Bonnie was being pushed around so vampires could use her powers. He saw it when Elena and her aunt were sacrificed to break a curse.

He had seen it time and time again, but didn't do anything about it. Why? Well, because he was weak. Unlike the rest of his friends, he wasn't born with any witch capabilities like Bonnie, wasn't a potential Hunter like Jeremy, and nor did he have half the abilities of a vampire like Damon or Stefan. He was human and for some reason, someone decided that humans would be the inferior race in this crazy world of supernatural beings.

He was fed up with it.

He was fed up with the compulsion, he was fed up with the threats, and he was fed up with people dying at the hands of vampires. It was about time someone did something about it. About time _he_ did something about it, and maybe that's why he joined the protection squad during the summer, so he could become stronger. Though he had unknowingly joined a group of vampire hunters, he was beginning to think this was something he was meant to do.

Of course he wouldn't go after Elena or Caroline, there was no way he would hurt his friends. They had been the ones that showed him that some vampires were capable of caring for others and being in control of their urges.

But that didn't dismiss the suffering that other vampires brought.

So after many nights of pondering and thinking it through, it was settled, he was going to be a part of the vampire hunting squad. Though he'd continue to aid his friends, he wouldn't allow vampires to take advantage of any more humans in Mystic Falls.

Matt finally arrived to an abandoned brick warehouse. Driving through the mucky dirt, he parked his truck, and got out, slamming his boots into the mud. After banging on the heavy metal door, the slot was opened to check who it was. The door was then pushed open allowing Matt in, securely being shut behind him to contain the secrets that it held.

"Matt," one man stood up, patting him on the back "Where've you been?"

"Sorry, I was with my friends," Matt replied as he joined the rest of the group.

"Friends, right?" one of them teased, "You mean that cute brunette and the blonde?"

"They're friends, guys," Matt assured.

"What about that pretty girl you took to prom? What was her name, Bonnie?"

"Didn't know you were such a lady's man, Matt," another joined.

Most of the members were composed of people he had known all his life, people he had grown up with. People who decided, they too, would take the initiative to protect their town.

They all surrounded a seating area with wooden stools, and old sofas. Some played pool, while others chatted amongst the others. They continued to tease Matt as he joined the circle of people.

"Enough," a booming voice went.

They all quieted down and looked up at the man who was moving to the center of the group. . He was tall, with a brawny built to his body. His face was stern and eyes were intense. Couldn't be any younger than 45 for lines of stress and seriousness creased his face.

Matt didn't recognize him. He had never seen him at training during the summer with Tripp or at any of the meetings before, so it peaked his curiosity that this guy acted like he was the leader of this group.

The man walked over to Matt and loomed over him, "Matt, I presume."

Matt looked at the others, but none of them returned his gaze. He didn't budge from his spot.

He turned his attention back to the man standing before him and nodded, "Yeah, that's me."

"I don't believe we're formerly met," he held out his hand, "I'm Steven, I believe you knew my partner, Bill Forbes."

_What._ Matt was stunned as he uncertainly shook the man's hand.

"Come," Steven motioned, "We have much to talk about."

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHH!" Caroline screamed.<p>

The sun incinerated her skin. Tears ran down Caroline's face, the pain becoming too unbearable.

"No! Please! Stop! Please stop! Please!"

The window latch closed, shielding her from the sun.

"I don't hurt anyone, I swear. Dad, I swear," Caroline begged, "I can handle the urges. I can."

"If you could handle it, this wouldn't happen," Bill walked towards her and held out a blood bag in front of her. Caroline's eyes turned red and the veins under her eyes protruded. Every part of her screamed to seize it from him and sink her teeth into it. Bill saw the way she looked at it, and snatched the blood bag away, proving his point.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Caroline cried, her eyes returning back to normal.

Bill looked at her with pity and said, "I'm conditioning you to associate vampirism with pain, in time, the thought of human blood will make you repress your vampire instincts completely."

"That's impossible," she whimpered, "Daddy, you can't change who I am."

"Yes, I can," he avowed.

"No," she whined.

"You remember this feeling."

Bill moved back to the chain leverage behind her.

"No! No! No! No, no!" Caroline begged, but Bill took the chain in his hands and tugged, uncovering the blazing sun once more.

The sun scorched her skin, reopening the blisters that had tried to heal. Smoke emitted off her back, arms, and thighs. Yellow and red sores covering her body. Caroline could feel the sun tearing at her skin, making her skin peel one layer at a time.

Bill closed the window opening again and went back to Caroline. She laid limp, eyes still puffy from crying, mascara smudged. He could already see the boils on her body trying to heal themselves again.

He sat in front of her, full of remorse, "Let's try this again, okay?"

Taking the blood bag again, he held it out in front of her and studied her reaction. Caroline tried to control her urges, suppressing her desire to rip at it. But she hadn't eaten since yesterday, leaving her starving, so the moment she got a whiff of the bag of blood, her eyes turned ravenously red.

Bill sighed, upset, putting away the blood bag again.

"I'm trying, Daddy, I swear," she begged, "Just please stop doing this."

"I know you are, but the blood has too much control over you."

Bill walked back to the chain, ready to open the hatch.

"No! No! No! Please don't, Daddy! Please don't!"

Bill pulled the chain again, releasing the sun's merciless light. Caroline shrieked, blood trickling down her flaking skin, stinging her open cuts. Blood oozed from where the sun's light was more concentrated.

She didn't know what hurt more, the sun burning her skin or the fact that her dad was doing this to her.

Although Bill had abandoned her, she still got to see him every now and then. Certainly more than her mother. Up until then, Caroline had been closer to her father than she was with Liz, even despite their few meetings each month for lunch or movies together. So though he wasn't around much, he always managed to send her gifts on her birthday and Christmas, and always attended her cheerleading competitions. She could always count on dad to be there for her.

But at this moment, she could feel her heart breaking.

It hurt more than feeling the sun beat down on her, more than the vervain that clogged her lungs, more than the burns that tore at her skin.

_Why was he doing this to her? Why?_

He was still her father, and she was still his little girl. Even if she was a vampire now, her unconditional love for her father would never waiver.

But her heart throbbed for every second, every minute, and every hour she saw the disappointment in her father's eyes when he looked down at her. She had failed him. She had let him down, and that hurt more than any werewolf bite. And every time he held that bag of blood in front of her, she could only feel the hopelessness overwhelming her as her instincts took over and the fangs came out. And every time she failed, she was punished by the ruthless sun and her father's frustration.

She wasn't strong enough. She was weak.

Just as she was a weak human, she was a weak vampire. And nothing broke her heart more than seeing the disappointment on her father's face when he decided that he hated vampires more than he loved his own daughter.

* * *

><p>Elena woke up from her nap. It was almost eight, and still no sign of either of the Salvatores. She looked around the room, and saw that Matt still hadn't returned. Checking her phone, Elena saw she had received a message from Tyler.<p>

Opening it up, it read:

**Tyler:** Went to get a change of clothes and to shower, be back in 20 minutes.

Locking her phone, Elena sighed. _Guess it's just you and me, Care._

Moonlight seeped through the open blinds, illuminating the dark room. Getting up from her bed, Elena walked over to the windows, looking outside. It was oddly quiet. Not a whisper in the air. She proceeded to shut the blinds of each window. When she arrived to the window next to Caroline's bed, she could see tears running down her face.

_**Bill sat at the corner of the cell, looking down at the ground. Silence filled the room. For hours they had gone at it. Bill would open the hatch, Caroline would burn, he'd close the hatch, show her the bag, and she couldn't help her urges. It was a relentless cycle that only added to Caroline's pain and Bill's frustration. **_

_**Caroline weakly lolled her head forward, numb to the pain that had been inflicted all over her body. Bill finally spoke. **_

"_**I want you to know, when Carol called and told me about you, I sat down and cried," Bill confessed still concealing his face. **_

"I don't need to be fixed," Caroline whimpered, "I can't be fixed."

"What," Elena looked at Caroline surprised, those were the first words she had said since passing out. Elena stooped next to her friend and said, "Care, I'm here."

_**Bill knelt next to her, resting his hand on the back of her chair.**_

"_**I've always taught you to try your best," he urged, "I need you to try your best now." **_

_** Pulling out the blood bag before her once more, Caroline turned away trying to suppress her cravings. But she could smell the sweet, sweet scent of blood sloshing in the bag. **_

_** "There, see, you're doing it."**_

"I can't," Caroline yelped.

"You can't what, Care?" Elena asked confused. _What was she hallucinating?_

_**Bill held the blood bag closer to her face willing her to fight it. **_

_** "Yes, you can," he encouraged, "Fight the urge."**_

"Care? Care? Are you okay?"

"I'm starving," she cried.

_**"I know you are, Care. Try."**_

_** Bill brought the blood bag even closer to her. **_

_** The scent of blood was driving her mad, she couldn't keep fighting it. **_

"It's okay, Care, I have blood!" Elena ran to the mini fridge and pulled out one bag of A-positive blood and held it out to her.

"Why?" Caroline wept, "You know that this isn't going to work."

_**"It has to work," Bill asserts, "It's the only option."**_

"What do you mean?" Elena pulled the bag of blood away from her.

"Why are you trying to fix me?" Caroline sobbed, fresh tears flooding her eyes.

_**"So I don't have to kill you!"**_

Caroline's eyes darted open, deep red encircling her dilated pupils. Fangs extended from her lips, piercing her bottom lip. Caroline sat up, taking heavy breaths as she choked back her tears. Elena backed away slowly. Something wasn't right.

Caroline rubbed at her face, trying to stop the tears, but they just kept rolling down her cheeks. She jolted out from her bed and stalked towards Elena, eyeing the bag of blood in her hands. She needed blood. She needed blood now.

"Care," Elena said hesitantly, "Care, are you okay?"

But Carorline couldn't hear a word she was saying, just the sound of the blood lapping against the flimsy plastic bag.

She needed it. She needed it now.

Caroline lunged at Elena, knocking her to the ground. Caroline viciously grabbed the bag from her grasp, and sank her teeth into it letting the sweet red elixir consume her. When she had sucked the bag dry, she let it effortlessly fall to the floor and stood up in silence.

Elena pulled herself up on her elbows, "Caroline–"

"I need to go home," she said quietly.

"You can't," Elena looked at her sadly, "You have to stay here."

"You don't understand, I need to go home now," she said more firmly.

"You'll die," Elena exclaimed.

She went to grab her arm, but Caroline had dodged her and now stood at the opposite end of the room.

Elena studied her face. Blood dribbled down the edges of her mouth, but her eyes were full of terror. She tried to move near her, but every step she took, Caroline took another back. She looked absolutely terrified. _But why?_

Elena cautiously looked behind her to see if someone was there. No one, just a closed door. _What was Caroline so afraid of?_

_**Alaric strode towards her, the white oak stake in his hand. Caroline fumbled with her car keys, trying to find the right one. He was getting closer. His steps becoming louder.**_

_**Thud. Thud. Thud. His shoes padded against the cement. **_

_**His dark eyes staking her like daggers. She had to get out of there fast, she had to warn her friends that Alaric was still alive and he was out to kill them. But why couldn't she find the right key? **_

_**Alaric dashed towards her, slamming her against her car, wrapping his hands around her frail neck. He was going to snap her neck. **_

Elena zoomed towards her, resting her hands on Caroline's shoulders and said urgently, "It's okay, Caroline, I'm here. Let me help you."

Caroline shrieked, twisting Elena's neck with a snap. Elena's body fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Tyler barged into the room, hair still wet from his shower.

"Elena?" he looked down at her motionless body, then up at Caroline, "Care?"

_**Alaric shoved her into a desk, trapping her, and stabbed her hands with wooden pencils. **_

Caroline ran towards the door, trying to get past him, but Tyler grabbed her arm, and pushed her back into the room. He could see the fear in her eyes, "Care, what's wrong?"

Caroline violently shoved him away, crashing him against the wall, and knocking the breath out of him before zooming out of the room. Tyler coughed as he struggled to catch his breath. Reaching for his phone, he dialed Stefan's number.

The phone rang on the other ling until a voice finally answered.

"Tyler?"

"Yeah," he choked, "We have a problem."

* * *

><p>Caroline dashed out of the room. She had to get away, had to get away before she could get hurt. Every heart ache, and every gun shot, and every bite, and every burn she had endured was coming back to taunt her. It was ripping at her, opening up things she had tried to stow away.<p>

She escaped out Whitmore's front doors and took to the streets, zooming past countless cars that hardly noticed her. Running through the fields and maneuvering through the trees, she ran and ran and ran but it only seemed like her doubts were catching up.

_**He let go of her trembling hands and headed to the door. Picking up his box belongings, he disappeared from her sight. **__**She watched her dad walk out their white front door all over again. **_

_**The sound of his steps leaving the front porch echoed throughout the empty house. **__**The sound of an engine running resonated through the empty hall as the car pulled away from the driveway. Liz crumbled to her knees, sobbing at the open door.**_

_**Caroline came running down the stairs, nearly tripping over her feet. She looked down at her mother who continued to cry. There was nothing more that Caroline wanted to do but comfort her mother. She could fix this. She just had to.**_

_**She left her mother's side and ran out the door and into the street chasing her father's car. Her feet pounding the slippery cement, bits of rubble scraping her bare feet. **_

"Please don't leave me!" she begged as she willed herself to run faster, "Daddy, please don't!"

_**But the car disappeared into oblivion. **_

Caroline stopped, staring at the empty street.

_What was she doing?_

Her father was gone. He'd been gone for a year now. But this time, she would never see him again. She couldn't visit his house in Georgia anymore, she couldn't anticipate a gift from him on her birthday anymore, or see his face for another one of their lunch dates. He was gone. He was gone forever.

Caroline stood in the empty street, staring mindlessly into the distance, a single tear falling from her eyes.

_**Turning around, the werewolf man stood behind her, a sinister grin on his face. **_

Caroline backed away.

_**He held up a gun and shot several shots into her side, the wooden bullets penetrating through her flesh. **_

Caroline yelped, bending over.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why?" Caroline screamed, pressing her hand against her invisible wound. She turned and scrambled away before he could shoot her again.

_**The sound of gunshots echoed behind her, hitting at her heels. But she refused to look back. Refused to face the terrors that await her. She just ran faster. She had to get away. **_

_**Running through the field, she bumped into someone. **_

She fell to the ground, confused, but was overcome with relief when she saw who she ran into.

"Thank God, Damon."

_**But Damon wasn't as happy to see her, as she was to see him. Instead, he furiously grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out into a dark and open field away from the rest of the party. She tripped at her feet as he continued to aggressively yank her away from prying eyes. **_

"Don't! She took it off and I got flustered, okay?" Caroline turned around to face him, and plead "I didn't know what to say. But I swear, okay? I did not tell her. I just told her that you didn't mean to hurt me."

_**Damon had an angry look on his face, but he quickly covered it and put on a fake smile. He whisked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, calming her with a swaying motion. **_

"_**You make me crazy, you know that?" Damon seductively whispered in her ear, "It's okay, I forgive you."**_

Caroline said meekly, "I swear, I didn't say –"

_**"Sssh, sssh," Damon hushed her, "It's okay."**_

_** He continued to soothingly rub his hands around her waist, making her melt under his touch as they continued to sway back and forth under the stars.**_

_** "Unfortunately," he coos, "I'm so over you now."**_

_**Caroline feels him stab his teeth into her neck, sucking away at her freedom, digging them deeper and deeper into her skin. **_

"Get away from me!" she screams.

_**She shoved him away, making him stumble back. His eyes were furiously red, veins pulsating from underneath his eyes. He was ravenous and it would take more than pushing him away to keep him from drinking her blood. **_

Caroline dashed away. _Not again. Never again._

She had to get away. She had to get home. She _needed_ to go home.

So she sped in the direction of Mystic Falls to outrun her darkest nightmares.

* * *

><p>Damon and Stefan rushed into the dorm room, almost breaking the wooden door from its hinges. Elena laid limp in Tyler's arms.<p>

Damon rushed to her side studying her, he turned to Tyler, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Tyler replied, "What took you guys so long?"

Damon went to answer, "We, uh–"

"We got caught up in a little trouble," Stefan answered exchanging a look with his brother.

Now was not the time to talk about their little adventure in New Orleans. It would have to wait.

"Well, Caroline's long gone," Tyler informed them.

"Do you know where she was headed?" Stefan asked.

"No, I have no idea," he admitted, "She slammed me against the wall and rushed out before I could stop her."

Stefan rubbed his forehead, "She could be anywhere by now."

Elena suddenly jolted up, taking deep breathes of air. She touched her neck, still feeling the kink from when Caroline snapped it. She would never get used to that.

"Elena!" Damon went to help her up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she shooed him, "We need to find Caroline!"

"We don't know where to look for her," Stefan said.

Damon moved to his side, "A crazed vampire on the loose at Whitmore College. She's going hurt someone."

"No, I don't think she's here," Elena said.

"Obviously not."

"Then where?" asked Tyler, "Where else would she go, it's not like she can go to–"

Elena looked at him and nodded.

"Oh shit, she's going to die the moment she walks through that border!"

"I know, I know," Elena acknowledged, "That's why we have to get there before she does."

"Then let's get going," Stefan headed towards the door, and everyone else followed.

"I know a few shortcuts we can take to catch up to her," Damon said as they rushed down the stairs, "We can cut her off before she gets to the border."

They rammed out the door, and into the parking lot. Jumping into Damon's car, they sped out of Whitmore and headed to Mystic Falls.

Elena stared out the window fidgeting with her hands, anxiety creeping at her.

There was no way she was going to lose another friend. Caroline didn't deserve this. Caroline didn't deserve any of the terrible things that happened to her. And as her best friend, Elena knew it was her obligation to do whatever it took to save her. After all, she had no doubt that Caroline would do the same for her, just as she did for others countless times. They had to save her, they just had to.

But then a thought came to mind and she looked around the car. Damon sat in the driver's seat, Stefan in the passenger seat, and she and Tyler in the back. They were all here, but Elena couldn't shake this feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Something was missing. Something essential to saving her blonde friend's life.

Elena started to panic.

"Wait," Elena said, "Where's Klaus?"

* * *

><p><strong>As you have noticed, I have decided to include Kai and his family in this story. It was hard to mesh them into my story line, but after a long day at work and pondering on the mysteries of TVD, I found a perfect way to mend them in. Plus, Kai is such a sarcastic ass... I love him. But, of course, things won't go exactly as they were shown in TVD. This is mostly because there are a couple things I am unsure of with the whole story line like 1) How did Kai even know about the magical border in Mystic Falls? I don't recall Damon or Bonnie telling him about, or anyone else in the show (someone please tell me if I'm wrong) and 2) How could Kai absorb the Traveler's magic while within the Mystic Falls' border if the spell prohibits the magic from witches? Unless you're trying to tell me that Kai being born with his strange ability is just another loophole to this? I don't even fucking know anymore..<strong>

**What do you guys think of Matt now? Do you think his actions are understandable? I mean, it made sense to me. Before Stefan and Damon came along, Elena even said, "Nothing bad ever happens in Mystic Falls." So can you blame him.. I leave that to you, my readers.**

**And Steven... I didn't know how to picture him, a gay vampire hunter? How often do you ever hear that.. haha, it's ok. I'll make him a badass gay vampire hunter with a crossbow that shoots rainbows and sparkles as he rides his winged unicorn. Yeah. That sounds just about right. I think I can make this happen. **

**Just kidding. **

**No worries, leave this guy in my hands. I always wondered why they never introduced him in the show, especially after Bill died. I guess it's up to the viewer's imagination and you guys are about to see that soon. **

**I hope Caroline's half hallucinations and half reality section wasn't too confusing.. I tried to make it obvious when she was hallucinating. I thought it was about time she be partially awake while hallucinating. So tahh-dahh. I tried to recall a lot of the events I mentioned in the previous chapters. **

**Forgive me for not including any Klaroline fluff in this chapter, I'M SORRY. I think partially why this chapter was so hard to write was because there was no Klaroline fluff I could look forward to writing.. but it's okay, the time will come! There's a whole bunch of stuff I still want to cover about their relationship, so be patient my klarophants. **

**I guess this leads us to this chapter's question:**

What terrible thing do think will be befalling our characters?

**Thanks for reading and reviews, as always! Feel free to leave feedback or just chat with me!**

**The next chapter will blow. your. fucking. MIND.**


	6. Chapter 6 The Promise

**Hey, guys.**

**So it's 2:20AM here and I'm just updating my story now. Sorry I didn't update within a week as I promised before, got a little caught up with the Christmas festivities and I came across a little hiccup in my story. Luckily I was able to fix that minor problem. And to make things even better, my twin sister got me a "Team Klaus" shirt for Christmas *internally fangurls over the TVD Klaus. Best. Gift. Ever. Anyways, I'll save the rest of my ramblings for after the chapter, so stay tuned!**

**As a reminder from last chapter: BOLD AND ITALISIZED represents Caroline hallucinating. **

**Alright, have fun reading!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, if I did, Klaus and Caroline would be banging every episode on TVD.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: The Promise<strong>

Matt sat alone on the velvet couch fiddling with his fingers nervously. He had reluctantly followed the strange man who called himself Steven out of sheer curiosity and the fear of what he might do if hadn't.

_Was this really the guy Caroline's father dated?_

The question continued to rack at his mind. Memories swirled of Caroline's father, Bill, and how she mentioned the two of them lived together all the way in Georgia. But if that was so, what the hell was he doing in Mystic Falls? Undoubtedly he probably heard about Bill's untimely death, but that was over two years ago and Steven ended up being a no-show at the funeral service.

Steven walked over to where Matt sat, and took a seat on the leather black recliner next to his before setting his drink on the wooden coffee table in front of them.

"I imagine you probably have a lot of questions," the man spoke.

"Yeah," Matt nodded admittingly, "A lot actually."

"Alright," Steven leaned back on sofa, "Go for it."

"Um," Matt didn't even know where to begin, there were just so many things he wanted to ask, he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear all he had to say. He'd have to make a mental note of everything so he could let the rest of his friend's know of his discovery later. He wet his lips and began, "Well, for starters, how do you know who I am?"

"Tripp told me a lot about you actually," Matt looked at him surprised, he continued, "He said you trained all summer, that you were very dedicated, you put in extra mileage each day, a born leader and one of the most promising members of the bunch."

Matt guessed that made sense, Tripp did say that the members trusted him and Tripp had even trusted him enough to reveal his whereabouts with vampires. But that still didn't explain how Steven knew he had known Bill.

"How did you know I knew Bill then?" he pushed.

"I saw you at his funeral service."

There was silence.

Matt couldn't recall seeing him at the church, nor the burial. Everyone was convinced he didn't show up because the sheriff and her daughter were present, but who would've known he did come, it's not like anyone knew what he looked like. Well, besides Caroline, of course.

"Believe it or not, I was present," Steven continued, "I came to pay my respects to Bill."

"Oh, I see."

Steven leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees before continuing, "But I also came to check on something."

Matt looked at him questionably.

"Before going to the funeral, I went to the hospital to check Bill's cause of death," he stated, "The documents read that just two days before his death he checked in with suspicious wounds, they were described as 'animal-like', several gashes that cut down his body."

Matt looked at him guiltily remembering the night Tyler called him, saying he almost killed Bill during a transformation.

Steven pressed on, "He was admitted to Doctor Meredith Fell. There were no notes to what procedure she underwent, just that all his wounds were completely healed the following day."

Looking straight at Matt, he said in a grave tone, "So tell me, how does a man leave the hospital unscathed after a brutal animal attack only to be dead by nightfall?"

Matt gulped.

"_Vampires_."

He nodded, looking away, "I figured as much. After all, Bill and I first met at a Council Meeting, so you can trust me when I say I already know the devastation that comes with those foul creatures of the night."

Turning his gaze back to Matt, he asked, "I presume you already know about the Council's whereabouts with vampires."

"Yeah," Matt confessed, "You could say that."

"Good."

Steven got up from his seat and started pacing the room with his drink while Matt still sat nervously on the couch.

"When my suspicions were confirmed, I asked myself: Who would cover up his death? Who had the authority to do that? And why didn't they investigate further or try to put a stop to it? Then, I came to the conclusion," Steven stopped pacing, looking back at Matt and he said sternly, "You're council has been compromised."

"Wait," Matt held his hands in a halt as he tried to piece what he was saying. "How can you be a part of the Council if you're not a member of one of the Founding Families?"

"Very smart," Steven grinned, very pleased by his knowledge, "You are correct. I am not a member of the Founding Families." He paused, his grin grew, "Well, not in Mystic Falls at least."

He took a sip of his drink.

_What._ _There are more councils?_

"You can't seriously think that there was just one council left to deal with the vampires, right?" he questioned as if reading Matt's mind.

"Then which council are you from?" he asked, "Some city in Georgia?"

Steven chuckled at that, "Indeed, I am a member of one of the Atlanta Founding Families."

* * *

><p>Kai stared moodily at Bonnie, who tried her best to ignore his glare as she read a book. This had been going on for hours. Ever since she stored her magic away in Mr. Cuddles and sent him to Mystic Falls, Kai had resented her for letting go of their last chance of getting out of this retro hell.<p>

"You know glaring at me isn't going to bring you back to the present," she said as she mindlessly turned a page still refusing to return his stare.

Kai gritted through his teeth, "Well, if you hadn't pulled your little stunt, you'd be with your friends right now and I'd being wreaking havoc on my coven."

"Well, I guess it's a shame my magic's gone," she replied calmly, "Looks like we're stuck here _forever_."

Kai scowled and got up. He started to pace in front of the fireplace, trying to think of a million ways to kill Bonnie and another way out of this hell hole.

After Bonnie sent her magic away, Kai dragged her all the way back to the Salvatore boarding house where he held her hostage. By morning, Bonnie had woken up and went about her day as if she weren't stuck in some alternate universe with a moody sociopath. She made pancakes, went grocery shopping, and now she was lounging on a couch reading a book.

Kai, on the other hand, was not taking things lightly. Watching his one chance to return home slip right through his fingers after 18 years of waiting only further enraged him. He was so close. He was so. Damn. Close. And now his one key to getting back was not only smugly reading a book and making smiley face pancakes, but was also, very much, magic-less.

There had to be a way. There just had to be another way for them to get out without her magic. They had the Ascendant and her blood, they just needed magic. But where the hell were they going to find that?

Kai stopped pacing and glanced back at the now ex-witch. They were stuck in a never ending celestial event, maybe she could draw her power from the eclipse?

"No," Bonnie bluntly said.

"What," Kai grimaced, "You didn't even hear me out on my idea!"

"I don't have to, I already know what you're thinking," she rolled her eyes.

"Is that so," he challenged.

"Yes, it is so," she countered, "You think I can channel my magic from the eclipse, but that's not how it works. I _need_ magic to do that. So no."

Kai huffed in frustration and sat back down on the couch across from her, resuming glaring at her as she continued to flip through her book.

"Maybe this is a good thing, for you at least," she continued, "This is your chance to redeem yourself. To become '_brave, loyal, and patient._'"

"Could you drop it already?" he groaned, "I would've said anything to get you to bring us home at that point."

"Well, I'm not as gullible as you thought," she sneered at him, "Did you really think I would take you back just so you could murder your family?"

He laughed to himself.

"That's cute," he said sarcastically.

Bonnie turned away from her book and frowned at him.

"You think you're so self-righteous, don't you?" he chuckled, "Go ahead, and think whatever you want, but you don't even know half the story to why I did what I did."

"Fine," she slammed her book shut and slapped it right next to her as she swung her legs over so her feet were planted on the ground and her elbows rested on her knees, "Enlighten me, then."

Kai did the same, excited to finally partake in socializing.

Leaning forward, he began, "Well, it all started when I was born. I had a twin sister you know?"

"So creative," she said mockingly, "Let me guess, the Gemini Coven is only twin witches exclusively."

"Very funny," he frowned, "We're called the Gemini Coven because only twins can lead the coven. My dad had a twin, my great grandpa had a twin. You get the point: a lot of twins."

"And?"

"When my twin sister and I were born, we were supposed to be next in line to lead the coven. One small problem though," he held out his index finger, "There can only be _one_ leader."

Bonnie looked at him suspiciously.

"As tradition in my Coven, when a pair of twins reach the age of twenty-two, they must merge as one."

"Wait, what?" Bonnie looked at him confused. _What did he mean "merge"?_

"The twins battle it out and whoever wins, consumes the other's power."

"You mean–"

"Kill the other twin and take their power," he grinned.

Bonnie was astounded, she barely contained her voice when she yelled, "WHAT?"

* * *

><p><em>A member of the Atlanta Founding Families. <em>

Matt was still appalled that there were more councils like Mystic Falls who knew about the vampires. It was a game-changer, a revelation, it gave Matt hope that there were people who would help to put an end to the vampires' reign of terror.

But something seemed off.

"If you're here to save us," Matt asked, "Why haven't you done anything yet?"

Bill had been gone for almost two years now, and if Steven wanted to bring order back to the Council, why hadn't he? Surely the man had a plan to get the Mystic Falls Council back up and running. What was holding him back?

Steven thought for a moment before he answered, "There was a problem…"

Matt looked at him questionably.

"When I met with the head leaders in an all council meeting to ask them to investigate further into the whereabouts of Mystic Falls, a priest from New Orleans came barging in requesting our assistance. He informed us that a vampire tyrant was ruling over New Orleans with an army of those blood sucking demons. He wanted us to aid in the extermination of the infestation."

"Well, don't you guys have a council there to keep things in order?"

"No, New Orleans was one of the few cities we were unable to establish a council in."

"Why not?"

"Needless to say, the fools wanted to live peacefully alongside the demons," Steven scowled, "They wanted to share the land with those…–those _monsters_!"

He spit on the ground repulsed.

"_Disgusting_," he grit his teeth, "They made a compromise with them that they'd turn their backs on their whereabouts as long as they didn't feed on the locals and didn't hinder the flow of wealth into the city. A compromise they've had with those creatures for over three centuries."

A city where vampires and humans live peacefully together? It sounded a lot like something one of those Miss Universe contestants would say in a speech. _End to world hunger, a stop animal abuse, and world peace with vampires._ It was too good to be true. Matt scoffed. New Orleans was living proof that harmony between humans and vampires was impossible.

"The Council decided to study the status of the New Orleans' predicament," Steven continued, "I was one of the council members asked to explore further into the matter, in return the council had Pastor Young take over the Mystic Falls town council after a man confirmed our suspicions that there were, in fact, vampires amongst them."

Matt remembered how Alaric had fessed up to the town council about how Liz and Carol had been protecting Tyler and Caroline, and the rest of their supernatural friends. Pastor Young had suspended their duties on the council and had taken up the leadership role to help eradicate the vampires by capturing Caroline, Stefan, Elena, and Rebekah.

"I spent some time in New Orleans, observing their council function, and after a time it seemed simple enough to rid them of those vampires," he explained, "The leader, Marcel, made all the shots. His pathetic army of misfits answered to him and only him. But without him, they were just that, _nothing_. Black sheep in the community, didn't know how to get by in life unless someone was telling them how to live it. It was simple: _Kill Marcel_."

"But it wasn't that simple, was it?"

Matt knew better, after his experience of all the crazy supernatural events that had happened in the past three years, he knew that things never went as planned, and they never turned out the way they were supposed to. There was nothing predictable when it came to the supernatural, absolutely nothing.

"No, it was not," Steven affirmed, rubbing his knuckles, "A several months later, before we were going to make the attack, the priest informed us that the Original vampires had arrived."

_Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah_.

Matt looked away fearing Steven would be able to detect the connection he had with the Original family.

But he didn't take notice.

"We knew that these vampires would be harder to kill, Pastor Young had informed us that the only way to kill an original was with a special weapon," Matt froze as Steven went on, "A weapon that was carved from magic and only they had in their possession."

_The white oak stake. _

"Pastor Young had failed to retrieve that weapon and bring an end to those demons, so we didn't follow through with the attack."

Steven allowed Matt some time to gather his thoughts as he tried to process all the information Steven had given him. It was a lot of stuff to take in. But Matt was still confused. How did he plan to help them? Surely he knew of the non-magic border that surrounded Mystic Falls, no vampires could step foot inside.

"And that's why I came here," Steven broke Matt out of thoughts and looked at him intensely, "There's a magical weapon hidden in your town, I tried to research what it might be, but no journal entries revealed what it was. Just that a strange woman came to your town a few years before the first council was established, offering it as a gift. No one knows what it does, but the woman said it would provide _protection_."

He had never heard of it. Though many of his friends were members of the founding families, none of them ever mentioned about a secret weapon hidden in Mystic Falls, nor did their parents. If such a weapon existed, why didn't the Council use it against Klaus and his family back then? Why was it kept hidden if it could've saved them? More questions began to bombard his mind.

But what puzzled Matt even more was what this had to do with him. Why would Steven risk telling him all these things? He wasn't a member of the founding families, hell, he wasn't even remotely related to anyone in the founding family. He was just an ex-high school quarterback working as a busboy at the local bar. What could he do?

"I need your help," Steven said.

"How?" Matt asked, "I don't even know where this thing is."

"Don't worry about the location, I've got that covered," Steven assured, "All I need you to worry about is the key."

_The key?_

"How the hell am I supposed to find the key?"

"That's the beauty of it, I already know where it is."

Matt glanced at him confused, "Then what do you need me for?"

"I need you to retrieve it."

"Ok…" Matt slowly nodded. It sounded too easy. Why would he send him on a mission that he could easily do himself?

"When the weapon was given to your council they didn't know what to do with it at first," he elaborated, "They didn't trust anyone with it though, not even their own people, so they split it up between the four leading families. The key is with the Fo–"

One of the squad members rushed into the room, with a phone in his hand.

"Sir, we have received a call from Robinson that there's a vampire on the loose."

"How close?" Steven immediately turned away from Matt and got up from his seat.

"About half an hour away from the border," he reported.

"Alright, show time, Matt," beckoning him forward, "This is your chance to prove that everything Tripp said was true, you ready kid?"

Matt stood next to him and nodded.

He could do this, he knew he could. This was his first step towards protecting the people he loved and the people of this town. One step closer to becoming stronger and killing Enzo.

"One more thing, sir."

"Yes?"

"Robinson reported that the vampire had peculiar movements, may be deranged or unstable."

"Understood," Steven nodded, the member left the room.

He placed his heavy hands on Matt's shoulders and sternly looked at him, "We'll finish this talk later. But right now, I need you to focus on the mission at hand."

Matt nodded.

"I want you to capture this vampire, but don't kill it. I need _it_ alive so we can find out where more of its blood sucking friends are. You understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

He roughly patted Matt on the back, as they headed out of the room, "Atta kid, let's go catch ourselves a vampire."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Consume the other's power. <strong>_

_What kind of sick people allow that to happen_? Bonnie was completely repulsed by the thought.

"Yes, merge," Kai smugly grinned, "Making the winning twin, the strongest witch in the Coven."

"So what happened? Why didn't you do the merge with your sister?"

"When my father realized my ability to absorb other witches' power, he was disgusted. He wouldn't allow me to merge with my sister," he frowned, "He knew I could just suck as much power as I wanted from anyone and easily overwhelm her, or just take her powers in general. He would never allow such an '_abomination_' to lead the coven."

"Oh."

Kai looked down at his feet, digging it into the carpet.

"So, he kept having kids with my mother, and he kept having kids until he had another pair of twins so they could perform the ritual instead," he grit his teeth, "But the ritual can only be performed with one set of twins alive, so the other pair has to die before they can do the ritual."

Kai's eyes met Bonnie's, she could see the rage burning in them.

"He was going to kill us once those twins turned twenty-two. He was going to kill his own flesh and blood for the coven. Typical dad," he said, "Always putting the coven before his own family."

Kai turned his gaze from her and picked up a dagger from his pocket, fiddling with its point between his fingers. Bonnie nervously watched him twirl it in his hands.

"So I did what any sane person would do in my shoes," he said, "I killed my siblings. It's not like my father cared for them, he just wanted the twins. So I slaughtered every last one of them, and I was saving those twins for the grand finale, but then my twin sister hid them from me."

"You're disgusting. Why would you even do that?" Bonnie blurted, "You're just further proving your father's point that you're not fit to lead the coven."

He laughed and stood up, he walked over to Bonnie and loomed over her, daring her to say more, "I tried to prove myself to my father many times when I was younger. I tried to practice magic like everyone else, but was only met with disappointment when he realized I didn't have the same powers. And then disgust when he found out I could take other's magic. I was of no use to him, so he wanted me dead."

"Well, what about your sister?"

"She didn't know of my father's plans," he scoffed, "She was oblivious to it all. All she knew was that I was the psychopath killing her brothers and sisters just so I could be the leader." He chuckled to himself, "Silly, sister."

"And you didn't think to tell her?"

"She never had to face my father's hatred because she was normal. She was self-righteous and selfless, she would do anything for the family, probably even give up her life," he answered.

Bonnie looked up at him uneasily, taking everything he had told her.

"So that's it: if we get back you're just going to kill the rest of your family, merge with your sister, and lead the coven?"

Kai's malicious smirk grew as he knelt down so he was eye-level with her.

"No," he said barely over a whisper, "I'm going to merge with my sister and kill my whole coven."

Bonnie's eyes grew wide. This guy was a monster. She was stuck with a psycho maniac willing to murder his whole family. There was no saving him, no redeeming him. When they got back, that is if they did, he would just finish where he left off in his reign of terror. Bonnie couldn't allow that, even if she thought their methods were wrong. She couldn't allow witches to be killed to exact his revenge.

"That way," he grabbed her book and lounged back on his seat with his feet resting on the cushions, "No witch will ever be as strong as me."

He smugly opened where Bonnie left off in her book, and started to read as she stared at him uneasily.

She had to get out of here. She had to get away from him. _But how?_

* * *

><p>Caroline continued to run down the road towards Mystic Falls. No cars rushed by, only the cold wind that ran through her messy locks. She trudged into the forest, the moon's light seeping through the tiny spaces in between the leaves and branches. Her werewolf bite continued to eat at her energy. Struggling to keep her footing, Caroline tried to tread through the forest. She clutched every tree she could, trying to find balance with every step. Her bare feet sinking into the damp bark ground.<p>

"_**What's going on?" Caroline walked up to Elena and Bonnie. **_

_**They looked at her, not sure what to say. The two of them exchanged glances at each other before looking back at her. **_

"_**Why am I not a part of this conversation?" she frowned, "You guys do this to me all the time."**_

"_**That's not true," Elena cut in. **_

"_**Yes, it is," Bonnie blurted, "I can't talk to you. You don't listen."**_

_**Caroline was offended, "That's not true."**_

"_**I'm a witch," Bonnie stated waiting for her reaction. **_

"_**Don't we all know that," she sarcastically replied. **_

"_**See!" Bonnie exclaimed, Caroline looked at her ashamed, "That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something. You don't even hear it."**_

Caroline kept walking.

"_**I don't like you," Matt said bluntly, "I never have."**_

_**Caroline stood there frozen as he walked away leaving her to stand alone in the bustling high school hallway. **_

She stumbled over a protruding root before crashing into a trunk. She held onto the scratchy bark, pulling herself up.

"_**Where is it?" Damon ran up behind her. **_

_**Caroline turned to face him, "Bonnie won't give it to me."**_

"_**So rip it off her neck," he demanded.**_

"_**I tried," she explained, "But it shocked me."**_

"_**Damn it," Damon looked away from her, muttering to himself, "Why does it do that?"**_

_** He glared at her, "I need that crystal."**_

_** "Why are you like this?" she whined. She held the edges of his leather jacket before softly replying, "I'm so good to you and I'd do anything. It's just some stupid necklace."**_

_** "No," he pulled away from her, "You're the only stupid thing here." Before he could walk away he added, "And shallow. And useless."**_

A pang of pain surged through her side making Caroline collapse at the foot of a tree, she yelped. Her hands and knees scrapping the ground.

_**Caroline began to walk down to the cellar. The narrow steps, creaking under her feet.**_

_** "Can you keep Caroline far away from me please?" she heard her mother's voice from outside the door, "I don't want to see her."**_

_** Damon glanced at Caroline outside before turning back to Liz, "She's your daughter, Liz."**_

_** "Not anymore," she says, "My daughter's gone."**_

Caroline lay curled up in a ball, pressing her hands against her wound whimpering.

"I'm still your daughter," she cried, "I'm still Caroline, I swear."

She could feel the venom pulsating through her veins with every pump, poisoning her body with every surge.

Suddenly, Caroline could hear the rustling of feet in the distance. She could hear them loading their guns, the sound of wooden bullets sliding into a metal shaft.

The men came out of the trees, surrounding her in every direction, guns armed and loaded. The venom continued to weaken her as she hauled herself up so she could look at her attackers.

_So this was it._ This was how she was going to die. So much for an eternity.

* * *

><p>Matt and the troop stalked through the forest. They were informed that the crazed vampire had ran into the woods, just a few miles away from the border. Steven commanded that Matt go with fourteen other members into the woods to capture the vampire and reminded him not to kill it yet because they needed it for questioning.<p>

So as the troop trekked through the forest, they began to hear the wails of a maiden. The dark shadow of the night enveloped the dark forest, the trees covering the moon's light. They could hardly see the young maiden laying under a tree.

_What was she doing?_

She seemed to be pressing her hands against a wound.

_Had she been attacked?_

The first front of the squad moved in, pushing past the branches and surrounding the peculiar creature. Matt stayed behind, ready to jump into action to surprise the vampire.

She looked so frail and weak, but Matt knew better than to trust appearances. Looks were deceiving, especially when it came to vampires. He knew what these creatures were capable of. They wouldn't even think twice about tearing into someone's neck.

They aimed their guns, ready to shoot. The woman slowly sat up, facing her attackers. They were unable to see her face, but they could hear a soft snicker as she pulled herself up. She looked at the attacker in front of her, the moon revealing her hungry red eyes. They took a step back.

Matt could see the guy she was looking at shaking as he tried to keep his aim on her.

The vampire lunged at him, ripping at his neck as the man screamed. One member shot at her with their crossbow, but she easily caught the stake. She let go of her victim, still in shock, and hurled the stake into the leg of the person who had tried to shoot her. The man wailed.

More shots were fired, but the vampire zipped right through them, the bullets never reaching their target. She grabbed one of the shooters arms and twisted it, forcing them to drop their gun. Taking the man's gun, she butted another attacker that came from behind, giving him a bloody nose.

The sound of gun shots filled the air.

The vampire chucked the gun so it knocked another guy out. Taking a branch she brutally batted their legs, many of them to fall to the ground as she smashed their bones. Another member tried to stake her, but she kneed him the gut.

Matt watched her astonished as she took out each member one-by-one. Something was strange about this one. Though she had injured many, she didn't once kill any of them.

Matt kept his aim at the vampire, waiting to have his shot. It was hard to shoot her when she kept vamping from one place to another breaking bones and staking limbs.

But while she was twisting another member's arm, Matt took aim and shot.

_**BANG!**_ The bullet plunged into her thigh. The vampire yelped struggling to stay up. Matt shot again. _**BANG!**_ Getting her in the knee making her tumble forward. The remaining members who were uninjured rushed forward and threw a rope net over her, engulfing her whole body. She hissed and ripped at the net trying to break free, but the net was coated in vervain.

A member pulled out a vervain dart and shot her back twice, silencing her. As they moved forward to tie the net securely around her and drag her back to the vans, another vampire lashed out. Roughly shoving the members away, he knocked them into trees before making his way to the vampire. He tore open the black net, ignoring the sting, and pulled her body out. The small increments of moonlight that seeped through the holes of the forest made it difficult to identify who it was. But Matt swore he saw a flash of dark blonde hair, or was it brown? He wasn't sure.

The members tried to shoot at him, but the vampire had already zoomed away.

Matt froze in place when a thought crossed his mind.

_Wait._ _Did I just shoot Caro–_

"Come on, Donavan," a member tugged at him, "We have to get that vampire!"

Matt put an arm ahead, halting him, "No, they could be anywhere by now. We are in no position to take down two vampires."

He looked to the rest of the members and ordered, "It's best we head back. Gather your weaponry and help anyone who's injured, we need to report back to Steven."

The squad began gathering their things and then started heading back. Matt followed.

_Of course._ Why hadn't he seen it? The darkness of the night had shielded his vision, but he should've known the way the girl pressed her hands at her side.

_Maybe deranged or unstable. _

She was hallucinating wasn't she? The werewolf venom was making her hallucinate. Somehow during the time between he left Whitmore to the time he arrived at Mystic Falls, she had woken up and gotten away.

Matt stopped in his tracks, looking back towards the direction the vampires had left. He felt ashamed. To think, he almost handed one his best friends over to be tortured and questioned. He felt an empty pit well inside him when he realized he shot her. He had hurt her.

He turned away and continued walking as he mumbled, "I'm so sorry, Care."

* * *

><p><em><strong>BANG!<strong>_ A wooden bullet punctured into her left thigh and she yelped. She let go of the man who had tried to shoot her when she heard another shot. _**BANG!**_ Another bullet delved into her knee making her fall forward.

Her attackers ran forward and threw a heavy net over her. Caroline pried at it, but soon realized it was doused in vervain, viciously stinging her hands. A pair of darts punctured her back further weakening her.

It was game over. This was it. She was going to die. If her captor's torture didn't kill her, the werewolf venom would. Either way, she was dead meat. Nothing could save her now.

"Ahh!" a few men yelled as they were shoved against a tree, a man rushed to her side tearing the net apart and pulling her free. Wrapping his arms around her protectively, he rushed away just as bullets were being shot.

_**Caroline ran through the hall way frightened. The uncanny silence only amplified her anxiety as she whipped her head back-and-forth. Alaric could be anywhere right now, he could kill her any second.**_

_**Suddenly she was being yanked away, a hand clasping around her mouth. Caroline wanted to scream as her heart jumped. She breathed heavily. **_

"_**Sssh," the man hushed her, "It's okay, it's okay. It's me."**_

_**It was Klaus. Caroline was surprised to see him. What was he doing here? Alaric could find him any moment and kill him now that he had the white oak stake in his possession. **_

_**Klaus removed his hand from her mouth and looked down the hall, before turning back to her.**_

"_**It's okay, you're safe."**_

They stopped in a clearing when they were a good distance away. Caroline's heavy breathes slowed. She immediately fell back, but he caught her, holding her up from behind. Caroline whimpered, inching her fingers towards her wounds. She tried to dig out the bullets, but she was too weak. He reached his hand down and gently plucked them out.

Caroline seethed in pain as the venom surged through her. He set her down, so the back of her head rested on his chest. She looked at him dazed.

"Are you going to kill me?" she said weakly.

"_**On your birthday?" he looked guiltily, "Do you really think that low of me?"**_

Caroline thought for a moment before responding, "Yes."

_**Klaus didn't reply. Instead her walked over to her bedside and pulled down her blanket so he could examine her bite. She shivered at his touch. **_

"_**That looks bad. My apologies, you're what's known as collateral damage. It's nothing personal."**_

_**His hand moved towards her bracelet, and he lightly tapped a charm and smiled, "I love birthdays."**_

"Yeah," she scoffed, "Aren't you like, a billion or something?"

_**He chuckled at her response, "Well, you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free."**_

"No," she choked, "I'm dying."

_**Klaus sat down on her bed, careful not to hurt her, but his eyes remained solely on her alone. **_

_**He said softly, "And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really think your existence has no meaning."**_

_**Caroline stared at him, confused that he was telling her all this. **_

"_**I thought about it myself, once or twice through the centuries, truth be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret," he leaned forward, "There is a whole world out there waiting for you. Great cities, and art, and music." **_

_**He fiddled with her bracelet before looking back at her, "Genuine beauty." **_

_**He sat up, "You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."**_

Caroline looked at him in disbelief.

She thought back to the times when she thought if she didn't exist, everyone would be happier. Times when she thought that if she hadn't been born, maybe her mom and dad would still be together. That maybe if she wasn't around her mom wouldn't have to work double shifts to help pay for two mouths to feed. Because maybe if she wasn't alive, her friends wouldn't always have to worry about her. She couldn't count how many times her friends had to risk their lives to save her just because she was some damsel in distress being held captive and unable to defend herself. She just thought that maybe if she was dead everyone would be better off with out her. That maybe she really was stupid. And shallow. And useless.

But she didn't want to die.

She wanted to see it all. She wanted to experience all the world had to offer and more, but growing up as a small town girl, her goals and dreams were limited to small town things. But listening to him talk about music, art, and culture thrilled her, the thought of going on adventures to see every inch of the world only added to her wanderlust. She didn't want to die. Not when there was so much she hadn't seen yet, so much she had yet to experience. She hadn't reached her full potential yet and she knew it. She wanted to be everything she wasn't able to be when she was a human: _strong _and_ brave_.

As tears began to well in her eyes, she stared back at him and said, "I don't want to die."

_**He pulled her body closer, lifting his arm to her mouth. **_

_** "There you go, sweetheart. Have at it."**_

Caroline drank the blood, letting the red elixir heal her. Her hazy mind was cleared, her senses sharpened. She could hear the patter of squirrels running up a tree three miles away, she could hear the whisk of the wind winding through the trees, and the slither of snake gliding underneath the fallen leaves.

It was intoxicating the way the blood made her feel alive, even though her body was long dead. It's magic electrified her nerves and had her heart pumping. Every gulp reviving her.

The ache from the bite ceased and her skin mended itself back together. And just as the last drop of blood rolled down her throat, she put down the glass flask.

She sighed in relief that the nightmare was over.

He saved her... again. Just as he did before.

"Are you okay, Caroline?" Stefan asked.

Caroline stiffened. _Wait. Stefan?_

"Uh, yeah," she turned to look at the person she was resting against. Instead of a blonde blue-eyed hybrid, there was Stefan. He helped her up so they were standing, Caroline still shocked and confused.

_But didn't Klaus sa–_

She looked down at her hand where the glass flask was. It was tinted red and held the sweet aroma of his blood. He must've given Damon and Stefan a flask of his blood to send to her. She continued to stare at the flask of his blood.

_I will walk away and I will never come back. __**I promise.**_

Stefan pulled out his phone and called Damon, "I found her and gave her the blood."

He nodded as Damon spoke to him through the phone, "Alright, I'll see you guys back at the car."

Caroline stared dumbfounded at the ground as Stefan walked over to her.

He rested a hand on her shoulder observing, "Hey."

She broke from her daze and looked back at him.

"Come on, let's go," he moved his arm around her to help her walk, "The others are waiting for us."

Caroline nodded and followed.

She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't disappointed. She was so sure Klaus had saved her, or, more like she hoped Klaus would've been the one to save her. After all those hallucinations and all the pain she just thought maybe, just maybe, he'd be there when she woke up from her nightmare. Because for whatever reason, every time a bad memory came to pass, thoughts of him always seemed to soothe her, calm her. His presence made her feel stronger, like she was capable of so much more, that she could take over the world if she wanted to.

If she hadn't remembered those memories with him, she doubted she would've been able to withstand the werewolf's venom for that long. The thought that he'd come to save her and that he'd be there when she woke up gave her strength to endure.

"Oh my gosh, Care!" Elena ran up to her and hugged her tightly, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and gave a small smile, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I was so worried about you, and you were so close to the border. You could've died!"

"It's okay, I'm fine," she assured.

"It's good to see you're fine," Tyler smiled as she walked to her, Caroline pulled him into a hug

He winced.

She pulled away and looked at him worried, "Did I do something?"

Tyler patted his chest, "You might've slammed me against a wall while you were hallucinating."

Her eyes went wide, "I am so sorry, Tyler!"

"It's no biggie."

"Alright, can we save the heartfelt reunion for later?" Damon butt in, "There's still a vampire hunting squad on the loose, it'd be best if we got back to Whitmore before they come hunting for us."

They all agreed and reluctantly got into the car and started heading back to Whitmore. Tyler and Elena filled her in on what happened while she was passed out. But their words all seemed to mesh into one as her mind continuously turned back to Klaus. She flipped the empty glass in her hands as her thoughts continued to wander towards the hybrid.

_Stupid hybrid and his stupid blood and his stupid promise and his-his… just…_

She didn't know whether to be glad he kept his promise, or mad that he didn't come to save her. Either way, he was going to receive an earful the next time they saw each other.

_Stupid Klaus, you should've been the one to save me._

* * *

><p><strong>DON'T HATE ME. I know, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY. I know I kind of misled you guys to believe that this would be the chapter that Klaus and Caroline would finally be reunited. After all those hallucinations and all that fluff, I crushed your dreams in one chapter. I'M SORRY. I figured some of you would catch on from chapter 5 when Elena realized Klaus was not present with them. And if not then, you'd catch on once you realized Caroline was hallucinating him (*hint*hint bold and italicized). <strong>

**I just want to let you guys know, originally that was the plan: for Klaus to save Caroline again. It was going to be all romantic and heartwarming. But then I started thinking (God forbid) that that's not how it should happen. Klaus really doesn't seem like the type of guy to come swooping in to save the day and be Caroline's knight in shining armor cause he's not a hero, the graduation episode being an exception. **

**If you watch The Originals, then you know, right now our beloved Klaus is very OOC at the moment. He cries a lot, sulks over his man pain, and has serious daddy issues. And as much as I hate to write him like that, I can't just make him drop whatever he's doing to save her. When I think of Klaus and Caroline reuniting, I imagine a lot of angst, sexual tension (you don't just walk away from hot-sex like that), frustration, and sassiness (mostly on Caroline's part). When they reunite. I want Caroline to be pissed, annoyed, and as sassy as ever so she can whoop Klaus' crybaby ass back into his bad ass self. **

**So yeah, my story was going to stop right there when he saved her. Just the end. Tah-dah. **

**But I decided that was lame as fuck. So if you guys would please forgive me for my misdeeds, I promise to you, I will make their reunion worthwhile. I swear to you! KLAROLINE WILL BE ENDGAME. But for now you must wait. All I ask is for your patience. I've always been one for the build up, though agonizing as it is, it makes the journey of them coming together more genuine and exciting. SO PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON MY FANFIC.**

**Anyways, so I added some background info on our little friend, Steven. I thought about the different councils on TVD and TO, and how they differ. So I thought, wouldn't it make sense if there was a council in each state on the east coast. I chose the east coast mostly because it's more rich with history and fits the timeline I want to focus on, so we'll see more of that later. **

**I tried to connect the whole Pastor Young thing with Steven, just so his actions mend well with everything.**

**Yes, I have included Bonnie in this story. What's TVD with out our independent black witch? I altered Kai's family history a little and his coven's tradition a little. I just thought it was weird how Kai wanted to kill Liv and Luke when neither one of them wanted to do it in the first place and would willingly let him do the ritual instead(ish), so now I've given Kai a motive to kill them. Hope you guys don't mind.**

**Lastly, I just wanted to remind you guys these past six chapters are all in the course of one day (a day and a half if you add the first half of chapter one into it). I realize they're a lot of things I left out, and I'm hear to say, the next chapters will fill in those spaces like: What happened while Stefan and Damon were in NOLA? What's going on in NOLA? Why didn't Klaus come back to MF to save Caroline? and so much more. And that's still all in the course of one day (and a half).**

**We've seen everything from Caroline's view. Time to see it from Klaus'**

**I still need to catch up on The Originals before I write the next chapter though, so I might not update till next next week. **

**But as always, thanks for reading! **

**Here's this chapter's question(s) to ponder over:**

Why was Kai in Mystic Falls to find Damon and Bonnie, when he's from Oregon?

What do you think brought him there?

**PLEASE SHARE AND REVIEW! Have a happy new year, guys, and pray for Klaroline for 2015!**

**Follow me on twitter: klarophant**

**Follow me on tumblr: carolineishislast**


	7. Chapter 7 Champagne is Their Thing

**HEY GUYS!  
>HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let's all have a prayer for Klaroline in 2015. <strong>

**Anyways, I ended up updating a lot sooner than I expected considering I was catching up on The Originals season 2 this week. Forgive me if this chapter is a little shorter than what I've been putting our recently. I just wanted this to serve as a basis to set up what will be going on in the next couple chapters. So after reading about all the Mystic Falls shenanigans, its time to see what's up in NOLA. We've seen things from Caroline's point of view, now its time to see from Klaus'. Prepare for some good ol' family drama between our favorite original family. **

**And stay tuned for my rant about the Originals. **

**I'd like to warn you guys that this story has a lot of spoilers from the show, so you might want to catch up first before reading this.. but if you really don't care, read on. I will try to explain everything thoroughly through out my story. It leaves off right where season 2 left off in the mid-season finale. **

**Anyways, ENJOY!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, if I did, Klaus and Caroline would be feeding each other beignets...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Champagne is Their Thing<strong>

New Orleans, the largest city in Louisiana and one of America's major trading ports along the east coast. With a population of roughly 300,000 inhabitants, it's mix of diverse people from every corner of the Earth make New Orleans easily the most unique city in the United States. The two Salvatore brothers would find that that piece of information would be their downfall.

It had been well-over an hour since Stefan and Damon had arrived in the Big Easy. According to Tyler, Klaus lived off the skirts of the French Quarter on a plantation. But after checking every household surrounding the area, they were still hybrid-less. The only place that seemed to fit Tyler's description was a two-story white mansion that had been burned down a year ago.

"This is impossible," Damon groaned as they continued to roam the streets, "How the hell are we supposed to find this guy? He could be anywhere!"

"Could you tone down the negativity a little, Damon. It's not helping," Stefan frowned, "Try giving him another call."

"Oh yeah, because he's going to answer after my _thousand_ other attempts," he began to mimic the answering tone, "'_I'm sorry, but the person you're trying to reach right now is not available. Please leave a message after the tone… __**BEEP!**_' Hey, Klaus. Would you stop being an ass and answer my calls because your beloved Caroline is hours away from dying. Much love, Damon. _**BEEEEEP!**_"

Damon rung in Stefan's ear, before he swatted him away.

"Ok, I get it! We're having a _little_ trouble finding him."

"A little!" Damon yelled, "That's got to be the understatement of the century. We've checked six different mansions, compelled just about every person we could get our hands on, and still no sign of the bastard! '_Little_" doesn't even encompass half of the trouble we've gone through today."

"Well," Stefan sighed, "We can't give up, Caroline needs us."

Damon grumbled under his breath walking past Stefan.

"And where do you think you're going?" he called.

"I need a drink," the dark-haired brother proclaimed, "How else am I supposed to survive this insanity."

Stefan followed after him, walking under a hanging wooden sign that read: _Rousseau's_.

Damon pushed through the doors and took a seat at the bar. It wasn't quite like the one back in Mystic Falls mostly because it lacked the modern design that the Mystic Grill had. The booths looked like they were back from the late 1900s, but were oddly in perfect condition, and the wood looked aged, chipping in some areas. Behind the counter were shelves of bottles from wines, to champagnes, to whiskey, and vodka.

Stefan sat up at the stool next to him and rested his arm on the counter.

"You do realize we're wasting time by being here, right?"

"No," Damon grinned at him, "I'm multitasking."

The bartender came over to them with a smile, "What would you gentlemen like today?"

"I'd like a glass of your finest Bourbon, and while you're at it," Damon leaned over and grabbed his collar, looking into the bartender's eyes, "Why don't you tell me all you know about Klaus Mikaelson?"

"He drops in once in a while to have a drink," the bartender answered entranced.

"Is that it?" Damon compelled.

"Yes."

"That'll be all," Damon let go, and sat back down on his stool, nodding towards his brother, "Get him a glass of Bourbon too."

The bartender nodded, fixing his collar, leaving to retrieve their drinks.

"Was that really necessary, Damon?"

"No," he admitted, "But you can't say I didn't try."

The bartender returned and placed their drinks on napkins. Damon swirled the golden liquid in his glass before taking a sip.

"So you're looking for Klaus Mikaelson," the man next to him said.

Damon set down his drink and glimpsed at the guy next to him. He had broad shoulders, lean arms, and dark skin.

"Yeah, do you know him?" Stefan answered, studying him.

"Depends," the man glanced to the side to look at the two brothers, "Who's asking?"

"Well, who's answering?" Damon growled.

He was already getting annoyed with his cool-guy façade. If he had answers about the hybrid, he better spill the beans before he ripped his head off.

Stefan placed a firm hand on Damon, willing him not to make a scene. He turned back to the man.

"I'm Stefan, and this is my brother, Damon. Klaus is an old friend of ours," he explained.

"Funny, Klaus has never mentioned you guys before," the man snickered as he took a drink.

Damon clenched his fists, but Stefan still held him back.

"We've had some…troubles in the past," he admitted, "But we're here for his help."

"What kind of help?"

"We rather keep that information to ourselves."

"Why hide it?" the man pried, "Judging by your brother's little stunt with the bartender, I know you guys aren't human."

Stefan's eyes widened, giving Damon the opportunity to stand up. The man did the same. Standing face-to-face, they glared at each other.

"I know you're a vampire, Damon," he said in a low voice, "But I'll let you guys on a little secret. _I am too_."

Stefan let out a breath of relief and pulled Damon back down to his seat. The man sat back down as well and resumed drinking his glass.

"So let's try this again," the man said, "What do you want with Klaus?"

"We need his blood," Damon spat.

"Our friend got bit by a werewolf and–"

"Klaus' blood is the only cure for a werewolf bite," the man finished.

The brothers were surprised that the man knew that piece of information.

"Alright, I'll take you guys to him," the man agreed, "But on one condition."

Damon rolled his eyes. _Of course, there was always a catch._

"You have to help me find his sister."

"Why?" Stefan asked, "What happened to Rebekah?"

"It's a long story," the man said, "But it's less finding, and more retrieving to be honest."

"Trouble finding an original," Damon muttered, "Gee, join to the club."

He ignored his comment and continued, "We have reason to believe she's imprisoned by witches in another person's body."

"Wait, what?" Damon said confused, "How'd she get herself in that mess? Probably pissed someone off."

"It doesn't matter," Stefan said drinking the last of his bourbon and getting up, "He can tell us all about it while we go look for her."

The man smiled. Damon looked at his brother appalled.

Damon grabbed Stefan's arm and spoke under his breath, "Are you serious? We're going to help this guy? We don't even know for sure if he knows where Klaus is!"

"I know, Damon. But this is the only lead we have to finding him to help Caroline. The more time we spend drinking in this bar, the closer she gets to dying," Stefan urged, "Now this man obviously knows Klaus and Rebekah, and it sounds like he has some alliance with them. So I'm willing to go on a limb here and help him if it at least brings us closer to finding Klaus."

Damon shook his head, "I don't like him. We don't even know his name."

"You don't have to like him, we just need to help him. So either you come with us to find Rebekah and see Klaus, or you stay here until I get back. Either way, I'm going to save Caroline."

Damon pursed his lips in defeat, he gulped the rest of drink down, "Fine, let's go find ourselves the original bitch."

The man smiled, leading the two of them outside the bar. As soon as they walked out, once again the Salvatores were met with the immensity of New Orleans. But before embarking on their mission, Marcel turned back to Damon and Stefan.

"By the way, the name's Marcellus Gerard," the man grinned, "But you can call me Marcel."

* * *

><p>Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.<p>

Elijah scrubbed his hands under the running water of the sink.

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

The thick blood clogged between his interlaced fingers as it slivered down into the drain.

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

_"Please! Don't do this!" the man begged backing up against the counter._

_ Bodies littered the diner, mangled ligaments sprawled over the tables, and blood spilled all on the floor._

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

_Elijah stalked towards him with ease, ignoring his petty pleas for mercy. _

_ He was going to harm __**her**__. He couldn't allow that happen, he wouldn't. Nothing could touch her. Nothing __**would**__ touch her. Not when Elijah was there to protect her._

_ "Please!" the man screamed again. _

_ Elijah stopped in his tracks. _

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

As the last of the blood seeped from his hands, he calmly dried them with a paper towel before looking at his reflection. Blood splattered the side of his weary face, red droplets lingering under his chin. Lifting up his handkerchief, he lightly dabbed them away.

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

_ The man stared at him frightened, eyes wide and breathes heavy. Elijah could make out the sound of his heart thumping. The quick thrum of every beat. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Each pump sending a gush of blood surging through his veins. _

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

_ Elijah hadn't wasted his time on dispatching the others. He simply went about killing each and every one of them. A plunge of his arm, and he ripped out their hearts. A swift stomp on their backs, and he shattered their spines. A bite from his fangs, and he tore out their throats. But this one… this one he was saving for last. _

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

He wiped away the last of the blood that covered his face.

There, he was clean. But something seemed off.

He looked down at his suit and saw the damp blood that was covered him. Stains of red masked him from head-to-toe, seeping through his clothing and touching his skin.

He pressed his fingers against the stains.

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

_Elijah closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the tantalizing scent of blood. _

_ When he opened them, they were deep red and starving for a taste._

_ The man caught his breath in fear at the sight, "What kind of monster are you?"_

_An evil grin danced on his lips, revealing his sharp fangs ready to puncture the man's plump skin. _

_ "I am no monster," Elijah chuckled, "I am an original vampire."_

_ The man shivered. _

_ Elijah suddenly lunged forward and sunk his teeth in the man's neck. The man yelled and screamed thrashing against the original, but he bit down harder, snapping the man's neck so he hung limp in his arms as Elijah continued to drain him. _

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

Looking back at the mirror, Elijah could see his blood-shot eyes and veins protruding. His reflection grinned back at him, lifting up its hand, it licked the blood that enveloped them. Elijah looked back down at his. They were covered in blood as well, as if he hadn't washed them in the first place.

His reflection chortled.

Elijah frantically started to wash his hands again, trying to wipe away the blood. Blood seemed to ooze from hands endlessly.

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

Taking handfuls of paper towels he tried to cease the flow, but it only soaked them with thick red.

The laugh grew louder.

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

He began to rip at his skin, scratching away the stains.

Rub. Rub. Rub. Rub.

The laugh was booming now, echoing in the small bathroom.

Elijah clawed at his skin uncontrollably. Tearing and tearing and tearing and–

_**RRRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGG!**_

* * *

><p>Elijah jolted up breathing heavily, sweat rolled down his bare chest. Running his hand through his hair, he tried to compose himself. When his breathes slowed, he sighed.<p>

_Thank goodness, just another hallucination._

It had been over a week since Klaus had rescued him from Esther, though he was safely away from her prison, her words continued to haunt him in his dreams every night.

_**RRRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGG!**_

He looked around the room. The walls were washed with maroon, with heavy grey curtains that hung over the windows, and old wooden shelves that towered against the walls.

"Elijah, answer the phone," Hayley groaned, stirring beside him.

He looked down at the brunette that lay naked next to him, the white sheets barely covering her exposed chest. He smiled at the remembrance of what had conspired between them last night. But the ring of his phone tore him away from his thoughts.

_**RRRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGG!**_

He stepped out the bed and pulled on some pants, before answering the phone.

_**RRRRRRRIIIII– **_

"Hello?"

"Ah, brother," the voice on the other line greeted, "I see you've finally woken up."

"Klaus," he answered, "Any news on Rebekah?"

"No, not a word. We tried to do a locator spell, but it seems she's under a cloaking spell."

"So she's with witches?"

"I presume so," Klaus agreed, "I also have reason to believe that Kol is behind all this."

"Kol? What makes you think that?" Elijah asked confused, "Did he not bring back the White Oak Stake after mother's spell?"

"Indeed, he did. But he was the one that prepared the body for Rebekah to jump in, and yet somehow we are unable to find her," Klaus' voice became very grave, "I fear he is conspiring against me again, and this is his was of punishing us for daggering him all those times."

Elijah began to pace the room, trying to think of a solution.

"Don't do anything drastic, brother. We can't lose his allegiance if we are to defeat father and Finn, we _need_ him on our side."

"I will not allow him to play these silly games with me while our sister is hidden somewhere," Klaus growled, "I will kill him as many times as possible until he –"

"I realize you're upset, but we cannot allow him to know that we are aware of his schemes," he interrupted, "Its better we unravel it ourselves and find Rebekah without his help. What is Marcel up to right now?"

Klaus scowled at the change of subject, "He told me he'd dig further into the girl who Kol said was the body he prepared for Rebekah to jump into. Her name's Angelica Barker. Ring any bells?"

Elijah shook his head, "Not that I know of."

"Same, but Marcel seems to believe he knows where she might be," he explained, "So while he handles that, I'll be speaking with the wolves and Jackson later this afternoon."

"And what of I? I've been cooped up in this house for far too long."

"It's not safe to bring Hope back just yet, so I need you to continue to watch over Hayley and her until we know what father and Finn are up to."

Elijah was shocked, "This is ridiculous. I should be there helping you fi–"

"Yes, I know you want to help, brother," Klaus but in, "But after what Rebekah told me, I think its best you stay there where you can't draw too much attention by killing a whole diner again. Mother's witchcraft could still have a hold on you."

He cringed.

He should be there with his brother rallying up the werewolves and helping Marcel find Rebekah, not locked up in a safe house in Arkansas. As much as he enjoyed his break from the harsh realities of their supernatural predicaments, he did not want to stand by while his family did all the work. He wanted to be there with them.

But he couldn't, not while his mind was plagued with horrific memories every night.

He reluctantly agreed, "Alright. But make sure to keep me updated."

"Of course."

* * *

><p>Klaus hung up his phone. Upon exiting his call, his home screen opened up and showed notifications under phone calls. Tapping on the icon, the screen opened up to a list calls. Klaus frowned after reading it.<p>

The screen read:

**38 missed calls and 12 voicemails from Damon Salvatore.**

Did the older Salvatore really have nothing better to do than harass him? He was must truly be asking for his death wish.

_What did he want this time anyways?_ Klaus figured it probably had something to do with Elena, it _always_ had something to do with the doppelganger.

But why would he call him? He had no use for her anymore. Here whereabouts were nothing of his concern. Now that Elena was a vampire, her blood was useless to him. But what further seemed to annoy him was the fact that the Salvatore even had his number.

_How did he even get it in the first place?_ The only person he gave it to outside his family was Caroline.

**_Caroline. _**

The name made him smile. He hadn't thought about the beautiful blonde since their last encounter. He had been so preoccupied dealing with the Harvest Girls, the raging war, and his parents, that there was just no time to think about traveling the world and eternal love when demons were always knocking at your door.

He wondered how she was doing, if she was enjoying college or planning a school event, or if she met a guy (and if so, he thought up at least a hundred ways to kill him). He wondered if she was okay, following through with her plans, preparing for her future, and going after her hopes and dreams without him.

She must have given his number to Damon and the rest of the gang considering he didn't recall sharing it with anyone else besides her. Although it annoyed him that they seemed to think they could just beck and call when they pleased to ask him to help in their petty needs, he was just content his number was on Caroline's phone.

He chuckled to himself when he remembered how that came to be.

* * *

><p>He remembered walking into the Mystic Grill, a winter wonderland theatrical decorated the bar in fake snow, sparkles, and holiday cheer. It wasn't hard to find her for she stood in front of his painting, studying his postmodern snowflake.<p>

_How coincidental. _

He figured she was purposefully standing there to catch his attention, probably playing a distraction for him so her friends could do their shenanigans behind his back. Not very clever on her friends' part, after all, he'd figure it out sooner or later. But for now, he'd have fun with her until the inevitable.

He walked towards her.

Her perfectly wavy blonde hair shined under the lights, one part pinned to the side while the rest curled behind her shoulders. She wore a white cardigan with a strapless beige dress and silver dangly earrings. She was truly a piece of art.

She turned and looked at him, her glistening blue eyes meeting his. He smiled back at her. They hadn't seen each other since their _date_ back at the pageant.

"Here to steal Tiny Tim's crutches?" she joked.

"Dicken's was a dark man," he smiled as he stepped closer to her, "You would've liked him."

Caroline made her way around the table so there was a gap still between them as if they were dancing around each other. She was avoiding him.

_Perfect._

The chase made it all the more fun.

She turned back to him and said, "Nice snowflake by the way."

He looked at his painting and back at her, raising his arm, "Is my work really that literal?"

"No, I'm serious. There's something…" she paused looking into his eyes, "…lonely about it."

They exchanged glances before he replied, "I'm going to take that as a compliment. Can I offer you some champagne?"  
>She turned from him and started walking, Klaus pursuing behind.<p>

"Can't, too many adult prying eyes," she faced him again, "Don't want to be a high school cautionary tale at the next town meeting."

"Well, then it's a good thing the high school part is nearly over."

They stared at each other for a brief moment, Klaus staring intently at her.

He always showered her with attention. He didn't want to waste any moment he had with her, not when being around her made him feel this way. She tried to hide her smile.

"If we're going to be nice to each other," she said, "Then I will need that glass of champagne."

His grinned and walked closer to her, closing the gap.

"Is that our thing?" he teased.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, but a smile still tugged at her lips.

"We don't have a _thing_."

_Lies._

Grinning wider he said, "Allow me."

He walked away to grab a drink. Taking a bottle of Pol Roger, he poured two glasses of its sparkling yellow shine before setting it back down. Taking the glasses in each hand, he returned to Caroline. As soon as he got back to her, he noticed she put her phone away.

Handing her a glass, she took it and asked, "So how's the hunt for the cure going for ya?"

"That depends, how's Jeremy's tattoo of the map coming?"

"Don't even get me started," she rolled her eyes, "Damon took him to Elena's parents' lake house with her and Bonnie so they could stop Jeremy from trying to kill his own sister."

"I see," he said, "I presume you're still dealing with the Elena and Damon problem."

"Yes!" she shoved him and he looked at her confused, "Why didn't you just tell me she was sired to Damon?"

He tried to suppress his urge to laugh, "I knew no such thing, love."

"You're such a liar," she pursed her lips, "If you had just told me sooner she wouldn't have–"

She stopped herself.

"She wouldn't have, what, sweetheart?" he asked curiously.

Her face grew red and she turned away from his gaze.

"Nothing."

He gazed at her, enjoying how cute she looked when she was embarrassed.

"They had sex," he bluntly stated.

Caroline's eyes grew wide and her face even redder. She pressed her index finger against her lips, shushing him.

"Ssshh! No one's supposed to know that, Elena would kill me!"

"I highly doubt that," he chuckled to himself.

She frowned at him, Klaus still amused with her reaction, "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, not even Stefan. And now Elena's going to find out that I let you, of all people, know she did it with Damon!"

People near them stared at Caroline because of her loud and hysterical display. Klaus continued to laugh. Grabbing his arm, she yanked him away to a different area of the bar where there were less people.

"I'm serious," she glared at him, "You can't tell anyone. Especially not Stefan."

"You have my word," Klaus grinned before taking a sip of his glass.

She continued to glare at him as she took a sip of her glass as well. Pulling out his phone, Klaus checked his messages.

_Well, that's peculiar._

He was expecting a follow-up on his hybrids' whereabouts from Adrian fifteen minutes ago, but still no message. He scowled, he began to search his name on his phone so he could give him a call.

Caroline immediately noticed Klaus pull out his phone. She still hadn't received the "OK" that Stefan had successfully retrieved the sword from Klaus' house. _What if he was calling one of his hybrids right now? This call could ruin Tyler and Stefan's plan._ She had to stall him, but how?

"Wow," she said, Klaus looked up suspiciously, "I can't say I'd ever see this, but Klaus Mikaelson using a cellphone."

She pretended to be appalled, Klaus looked at her incredulously.

"Very funny, love. But believe it or not, I am caught up on the times."

"I must admit, I half expected you to be using one of those dinosaur phones that are like this big," she motioned with her hands, "And have an antennae attached that you pull out."

He frowned.

_Was she calling him old?_ Surely he was aware he was over a thousand years old, but for whatever reason, listening to her tease him about his age made him a little self-conscious.

"Well," he began, "Very few can say they've used just about every telecommunication device known to man."

"Well, that's cause most men don't live to be a thousand," she retorted.

"Their loss, not mine, love. But man truly has evolved from their early days of communication," he fiddled with his smartphone, "I used to have to telegraph Elijah extensive messages of our plans. You wouldn't imagine how troublesome it is to inscribe a message that long."

Caroline laughed, imagining Klaus furiously jabbing at a telegraph's knob before resorting to throwing it out the window.

"So what," she giggled, "Are you like the master of cellphones then?"

"I'll have you know, I've known how to use cellphones, since before you were born, love," he boasted.

"Oh, okay," she rolled her eyes, almost instinctively she pulled out her phone.

Still no message from Stefan.

Klaus moved next to her and easily plucked her phone from her hands, and began to play around with the apps.

"Oh my gosh, Klaus!" Caroline squealed, "Give that back!"

She was horrified.

_What if he saw the messages from Stefan? Or what if Stefan sent her a message while he was playing with her phone?_

He skimmed through her photo albums, before tapping on a picture of her when she was two years old.

"Is that you, love," he teased, "I must say, you look adorable."

"Klaus!" she blushed, flailing her arms over him so she could grab her phone, but he kept it just out of her reach.

He continued to explore her photos, pulling up a picture of her in a red bikini at the watering hole with Bonnie and Elena their sophomore year in high school.

"I think I might send this to myself," he joked, allowing Caroline to view the picture.

Her mouth gaped in utter embarrassment, "Pervert!"

"Evil, murderer, and sociopath, yes, but not a pervert," he corrected, "I prefer '_admirer of beautiful women's bodies_.'"

She lunged forward again to grab her phone, but Klaus easily held her back with one arm.

He paused when he found one of her senior photos. She was all dressed up in a pink blouse covered with a beige cardigan, and a necklace hanging over her neck. Her hair was curled and she wore her award-winning Miss Mystic Falls smile in the photo. She looked absolutely stunning.

Caroline snatched her phone back, "I think that's enough."

He smiled slyly back at her.

"You're the last person I would send pictures to, let alone message because one, I don't have your number anyways and two, I wouldn't want it either," she said matter-a-factly.

"Is that so," he stepped towards her.

She nodded, ignoring how close he was getting.

"Say one of your friends got bit by a werewolf, perhaps Elena, or Stefan, or maybe even you," he went, "Wouldn't it be nice to have my number on speed dial to call whenever _you_ need something?"

She scoffed, "If this your way of trying to get my number, I'll have you know you're failing miserably."

"Maybe," he grinned, "But it could benefit us both."

She frowned at him, trying to suppress her smile as he continued to smirk at her with that smirk of his.

_Damn, his dimples._

_I mean, I guess it would be nice to have his number for future reference when they needed something, right?_ It's like she was planning to text him everyday or talk with him every night until she fell asleep.

"Fine," she slapped her phone in his hands, "But only for emergencies, you hear me?"

He chuckled, "Emergencies."

He handed Caroline his phone so she could type in her number. He did the same and handed it back to her content to see her name in his address book.

Caroline's phone vibrated with a message. She quickly reviewed it, it was from Stefan.

Looking back to Klaus who was already observing her, she said, "I've got to go."

"Alright."

She began to walk past him, but then turned to his surprise.

"Don't get any ideas, mister," she threatened, "_Emergencies._"

He smiled.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, walking away waving her hand, "Bye, Klaus."

"Bye, Caroline."

He watched as she disappeared into the crowd and out the door.

* * *

><p>Klaus' thumb hung over her name. He tapped it, his phone revealing all her contact information from her phone number, to her address, to her home number, and a picture of her. He enlarged the photo and smiled. It was a picture of Caroline at her graduation. While sitting in the bleachers, he couldn't help but snap a picture of her while she walked down the aisle in her red cap and gown, proudly holding up her diploma with the brightest smile on her face.<p>

She had been calling him nonstop that day, but he had been already sitting there on the metal stands watching her graduation ceremony amongst the other friends and family.

He laughed at the memory of listening to her multiple voicemails after he got off the plane threatening "to come down to New Orleans herself and drag his original ass back down to Mystic Falls to save Damon" (her words, not his of course).

_CRREEEEAAAKKK!_

The sound of the gate pushing open reached Klaus' ears. Swiftly locking his phone, he shoved it back into his pocket. The sound of shoes padding into the courtyard echoed through out the house. He could smell the distinct scent that came only from the bayou.

_Werewolves. _

They may have been staying with in the city for awhile now, but years of living in the swamp lands of Louisiana cursed them with that stench.

Klaus left his study room and walked out to the balcony just above the courtyard where the wolves were gathered.

"Greetings, wolves!" he boomed with a smug look on his face.

A man cut through the crowd, who looked like the alpha. He would change that soon enough.

"Cut the festivities, Klaus," Jackson said, "We're here to talk."

Lifting himself over the railing, Klaus jumped down and landed gracefully in front of the pack.

"Alright then," Klaus strolled towards them, "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys don't mind a short chapter for now. They will get longer, I swear, I just needed to establish some stuff. <strong>

**1. Damon and Stefan are on a mission with Marcel to find/retrieve Rebekah.**

**2. Elijah is hallucinating (after all, this story is called "Hallucinations") and is watching over Hayley and Nope.**

**3. Kol is conspiring against Klaus, I know that was very vague in this chapter, but I'll get more into depth in the next one. **

**and **

**4. Klaus is rallying up the wolves to fight against Finn and Mikael**

**Let's take a break from my story so I can rant about season two of the Originals... okay... brace yourselves...**

**WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. Excuse my profanity. But seriously? What the hell is going on? I mean, there is a lot I can say about this show, good and things. So I suggest, if you haven't seen the show, don't continue this section because I will be giving up a bunch of spoilers. **

**For whatever reason, I just do not like Hayley as a hybrid. I mean, I didn't like her as a werewolf either, but I feel like her becoming a hybrid only amplified how shitty her character is... like holy shit, I just do not like her character. I also do not understand Elijah's infatuation with her, looking back at season 1 of TO, I see that it was so out of the blue and random and don't you fucking dare say it was "love at first sight" because that is such bullshit. I'd hate to bag on other ships, but wow... I feel like a lot of these ships the writer's literally just pulled out of their asses. Another thing, I don't understand is how the wolves are able to just forgive her and follow what she says. Werewolves hate hybrids just like vampires, maybe even more. From what I gathered from the shows, they're seen as an abomination, an impurity to what it means to be a werewolf. So good luck explaining that one.**

**By the way, I don't ship Halijah... sorry**

**I don't like Camille either... I know, it sounds like I'm bagging on all the female characters on the show, but seriously guys.. what's the point of her character. I mean, I thought maybe she'd be like Matt on TVD who serves as the gang's anchor since he seems to be the only one to decipher right from wrong and plays the ideal "human" I guess. But my god, Camille is so terrible at being a human.. like damn. One thing that really annoys me is her ability to literally jump out of bed with Marcel and then fawn over Klaus.. that sends such a bad message about women, like really writers.. and then when they try to play it off like her psychology degree is enough to _understand_ Klaus. And don't even get me started on their little dance scene.. *cough*cough You don't hear Klaus complimenting her dancing *cough*cough Caroline did it better *cough*cough But when she does say "There are good things", I'd like to think that Klaus thought back to Caroline and when they danced it only further reminded him of her. Maybe that's why he didn't kiss Camille's bitchass. **

**With that said, I will attempt to redeem those character despite how shitty they are and how much I loathe them. But because I am a writer, I feel an obligation to each and every one of these characters. They all deserve a story that worth reading. **

**Moving on to Marcel. I actually like this character. He's the only new character that I've been introduced to since starting the show that I actually don't mind. I like the fact that Klaus raised him like a son, and that he took a lot of what he learned from Klaus and made something of himself when he had nothing. So yeah, he's cool. Marcel is A-OK! **

**Davina is mehh... I think have this thing against younger people being a part of a show. Idk, I just find them annoying, which means I find her annoying. I don't like her voice, or the way she talks. I thought the whole story with the harvest story was okay, but that's it. I might be biased because I absolutely love Bonnie Bennett and think she's the most badass witch there is, but idk, Davina's character just isn't that great. **

**I loved the TVD Kol, the snarky and malicious Kol. The Kol in TO is a little different. In the flashbacks, he's in character. But when he's in Kaleb's body, and Daniel is acting on behalf of Nathaniel, it just seems... off. I also don't think Kol would fall for just any witch, let alone a witch he's known for maybe a month or so... she looks to young for him... Plus, I may or may not ship him with another person, but that's another story.**

**That leads me to the body switching. I _hate_ the body switching going on. I want Alice Evans playing Esther, Claire Holt playing Rebekah, Nathaniel Buzolic playing Kol, and Caspar Zafer playing Finn like is that too much to ask for? I want a reunion of the original cast of the original family, I want to relive the magic I saw in season 3 of TVD with the whole family lined up on the stairwell, like PLEASE. **

**So the story line is interesting I guess, it (finally) focuses on the original family. I like the idea of Esther having an evil sister that cursed the Mikaelson's firstborns and will come back to kill Nope. What I don't understand is why Klaus killed his real father... and then cried about it like a little bitch to Elijah after. The dude was willing to fucking help him and he killed him... I know Klaus is evil and all, but this season he's a whiny bitch. If you're going to be evil and kill your father, be a man about it and stick with being evil instead of crying about it later (ok, that sounded harsh.. in no way do I support anyone to kill their father). Point being, Klaus is so OOC.**

**I cannot stress to you how OOC he is right now... like he'll do something badass, and then cry like a little bitch later... I'll fix him, I swear... he doesn't deserve to be with Caroline right now in his current state..**

**The crossover with Tatia was such a disaster. I literally learned nothing from that episode. They didn't explore Klaus' love for Tatia too, they only focused on Elijah's. The bitch kissed both of them the same night, like wtf. Pray the klaroline crossover isn't as horrendous as the Tyler and Tatia one.. PRAY.**

**Possibly the only thing I enjoyed about this season was the flashback with Esther and Klaus when she teaches him how to dance. I don't know about you guys, but I immediately thought back to Klaus and Caroline dancing together *cries profusely**

**Back to my story...**

**I realized I have a love for writing Damon. He's actually really fun to write. He gets all the cheesy/snarky comments, its great. Its even more fun when I get to write Stefan with him. They're just so much more fun to write about when they're not pining over Elena, like wow. Definitely look forward to writing more chapters with them together. **

**So yeah, I included a little Klaroline moment. It's not as big as the other one's I've written, but hey, gotta start small. I'm working my way up with these Klaroline scenes till we get to the big kahuna *wink I always like to write them teasing and being playful with each other. Those scenes always make me sob from the cuteness. Plus, I mean, I seriously can't be the only one that wondered WHEN and HOW they got each other's numbers. I looked between episodes of them together and tried to decipher when it might've occurred. It had to be before the scene when she helps dig out the White Oak Stake from Klaus' back because he was "phone-stalking" her in that episode and it had to be after their date. So I figured, this scene fit the best. **

**Question of the Chapter:**

What do you think Finn and Mikael are up to?

**As always SHARE AND REVIEW! **

**Pray for Klaroline 2015!**

**Follow me on twitter: klarophant**

**Follow me on tumblr: carolineishislast**

**I'll see ya soon!.. hopefully**


	8. Chapter 8 The Night of Her Dreams

**HELLO MY KLAROPHANTS!**

**Boy am I surprised I actually finished writing this chapter... to say the least, I've been so busy this week. With the new quarter starting and trying to balance college classes and two jobs, like wow... It's been one hectic week for sure. I'll ramble later on after the chapter, but for now I need to say this BEFORE you read this chapter. Alright, so I'm going to tell you right now. This chapter will make absolutely no sense unless you've seen the Originals. I realized that I make a lot of references from both seasons and it's hard to explain everything they do in the story without getting off topic or rambling too much in the chapter. So, I will attempt to catch you up on all the important shit you need to know in order to understand my chapter. So if you wish to not have the whole tv series ruined for you (but honestly, the show does that itself) and you want to watch it all by yourself without me spoiling anything for you, by all means, go ahead. But for those of you who don't want to spend hours dying repeatedly watching that terrible show, I guess you can settle with my short list/summary of the shit you need to know. Alright, you have been warned. **

**THE (NON)ORIGINALS SPOILER ALERT!**

**1. After miserably failing to kill all her children in TVD, Esther has settled with giving her children the opportunity to body-swap with a witch so they give up their vampirism. This has already been performed on Finn and Kol (who she resurrected into those bodies because there's were burned when they were stabbed with the white oak stake), and Rebekah (when she pretended to agree to her mother's terms, but couldn't stop the spell after it started).**

**2. Finn and Mikael are on the loose right now, most likely working together. **

**3. Kol and Davina are having a thing or something... idfk, but it's obvious she has a crush on him and they kissed, so yeah...**

**4. Elijah has been having hallucinations (no I did not make that up, he actually is in the show and it just so happens that it conveniently fits with my story) after being trapped by Esther. In his hallucinations in the show, it reveals he drained Tatia of her blood. **

**5. Ansel is Klaus' real father that Esther resurrected before the Other Side was destroyed, but Klaus killed him when he realized Ansel knew that Nope was alive. **

**6. Finn has an infatuation with Camel for whatever reason that I don't understand (how do you go from badass Sage, to annoying psych major chick)**

**7. Kol and Davina are working together to get rid of Klaus. They're going to try to do this by using the perfect diamond (the paragon diamond) to concentrate their magic into turning a dagger to a silver dagger that they can use to put Klaus in a slumber since the normal ones don't work on him like they do on the rest of the originals. **

**8. Marcel is trying to rebuild his army of vampires.**

**9. Jackson is the alpha of the pack Hayley belongs to. Apparently they were born to be together or some shit. **

**And that's it, I'll spoil your guys more when I need be. But for now, that's all you need to know.**

**HAPPY READING!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: The Night of Her Dreams<strong>

The sounds of hysterical laughter reverberated in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to make the laughter cease, the booming cackles unceasingly chortled. She pressed her palms firmly against her ears, desperately trying to make it stop, but even then, the demons still screamed in her ears.

"_Lyn_," a voice cooed, "_Sweet Lyn._"

She held her breath hoping they wouldn't find her.

For many nights, the witches would gleefully prance around her in circles. They threw cursed dolls at her, showered her with incense, and chanted vulgar songs. Their expressions never changed, a sick grin always plastered on their faces as they taunted her. Calling her, "_Lyn, sweet Lyn_" every time.

She wasn't Lyn, she was Rebekah Mikaelson, and Rebekah Mikaelson did not get taunted by lower life beings, they would be too afraid (as they rightfully should). She was an original vampire, faster and stronger than any creature on the planet. She wasn't some weak witch, she was one of the most powerful beings on the planet, and yet, there she was, Rebekah Mikaelson, cowering inside a closet.

_What had her life come to?_

It was all Kol's fault, she knew it was. He picked out this body for her, and when their plan went awry she ended up trapped in a mansion that she conveniently was unable to escape. _That Kol_, that conniving brother, always coming up with alternate schemes behind their backs. Though she didn't understand why he had done it, she would make sure to exact her revenge and inform Klaus as soon as she got out.

That was,_ if_ she got out.

Surely Klaus and Marcel would've noticed by now that she hadn't returned to her body and would go looking for her. The real question was: _When?_ _When would they find her?_

All the doors and windows were boarded up so she couldn't tell what time of day it was, only bleak candles lit the room. She hadn't even anything to eat since the body swap. She began to question how long she would last, or if she'd even make it out alive.

The closet was ripped open and the deranged face of a witch cowered over her. Rebekah screamed, but the witch grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out laughing.

"_Lyn, sweet Lyn. Why must you always hide?_" the witch crowed.

Clawing at her hands, Rebekah tried to pry herself free from the witch's grasp.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you crazy bitch? I'm not Lyn, I'm Rebekah Mikaelson!"

"_You always find a way to ruin our fun, don't you sweet Lyn_?" the witch said as she dragged her down the hall, the carpet burned at her skin, "_Now we must punish you_."

"Wait, what–"

The witch viciously kicked her down the stairs, every step jabbing at Rebekah's frail limbs. When she hit the bottom, the rest of the witches gathered giggling together as they poked at her motionless body.

Rebekah groaned as they rolled her over and tossed her onto a lumpy couch where they proceeded to tie her arms and legs tightly together. She lazily tried to fight back, kicking at them, but they easily overwhelmed her. They started to dance around her, chanting words she couldn't understand. Chanting and chanting until their words echoed throughout the house, making the walls and windows shudder. Their eyes rolled back exposing only white under their eye lids as their vile grins only grew wider. They thrashed their arms in the air and stomped their feet on the ground, screaming.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she begged, "WHY?"

The head witch walked over to her while the others continued to chant.

"_Don't you see, sweet Evelyn_," she whispered through her sick grin, "_You're going to set us free._"

"But, how?"

Rebekah was confused. _What did she mean that she'd set them free?_ How could she possibly do that? She couldn't even set herself free from this body, let alone this house.

"_You're going to purge the world of all its darkness_," the witch giggled.

"What?"

"_**She**_ is coming, and when she does," the witch tilted her head, "She's going to need _**your**_body."

The witch blew white powder at her face making her choke. Rebekah scratched at her neck as the powder clogged her throat until she blacked out.

_Where was Klaus and Marcel?_

* * *

><p>"So you want to tell us where exactly we're going?" Damon asked as the three strolled into a residential area outside of the French Quarter.<p>

They hadn't been walking for more than five minutes when the older Salvatore decided to start nagging the vampire with questions.

"Don't worry about it, we're just going to a house outside the city," Marcel answered.

"Is that so," Damon muttered, "And what's so special about this house, huh, tough guy?"

Marcel turned and towered over him, but Damon maintained his usual smug grin on his face.

"I'd watch how you speak to me considering that one, I'm older and stronger than you and two, I'm you're only chance of finding Klaus."

Stefan stepped in, pushing them away from each other.

"Really guys? Could you guys please save this for later, we still need to find Rebekah."

"Well, _maybe_ I would feel more _willing_ to retrieve the original bitch if I knew what we were getting ourselves into," Damon snapped as he shrugged off Stefan's hand.

He started walking ahead.

"Damon's right," Stefan sighed as they followed, "If we're going to help you get Rebekah, we need to know what we're up against here. We need to make sure we actually make it out alive to even see Klaus."

It was quiet for a moment as Marcel continued to trudge along, before finally answering, "We call it the Fauline house."

"Alright, that's a start," Stefan replied, "Now why would Rebekah be there?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not completely sure she's in there," Marcel answered, Damon groaned, "But back in 1914, Klaus sent me to investigate on some recent thefts throughout the city. After some digging, I came to the conclusion that the only person capable of pulling off so many successful hijacks without a trace could only be none other than his brother, Kol."

Damon and Stefan looked at each other knowingly. They both remembered the snarky and conniving original who had an arm for baseball bats. But they figured after the collapse of the Other Side, the original would've been sucked into oblivion with the rest of them and would be gone for good.

"One Christmas night, Klaus and I followed him to the Fauline house where he and two witches broke in to steal a jewel called the Paragon Diamond," Marcel continued, "It's one of the largest diamonds in existence, and is said to contain mystical capabilities."

"So the original has a fetish for jewels, I fail to see the point to this little story," Damon snidely remarked.

"Well, we didn't know what Kol wanted to do with it, but we still had to punish him for his recent thefts, so we took the stone from him when we caught him outside," Marcel replied, "And for conspiring with him, we had a witch trap his two accomplices inside the house for an eternity."

"So Rebekah is in a house of dead witches?" Stefan affirmed.

"Not exactly," a dark cottage came into view when Marcel spoke, "Over the years since the Original family left, the Fauline house has come to be inhabited by some of the strangest folk around New Orleans. When I took over, some of the witches fled to the Fauline house to seek refuge, but were completely unaware of the curse."

"What kind of curse are we talking about it here?" Damon looked at him suspiciously.

"Once you get in, you can never get out."

They stood outside the gate of the gloomy household. A black spiked gate fenced the estate from all corners. Wooden boards jammed the windows and littered all entryways. Trash was scattered all over the ground, while a little porcelain doll's head sat atop the gate. The placed looked like a dump.

Damon cringed and plugged his nose, "So what's the plan? Run in and grab Rebekah and then get out?"

"Not quite," the Salvatore brothers both looked at Marcel confused, "Although we can freely walk in and out of the house, Rebekah cannot."

"And why not?"

"The curse doesn't allow witches to escape. It's a long story, but just know that Kol and Finn are currently in witch's bodies, and I am almost 100% certain Rebekah is too," he insisted, "We had a feeling Esther was planning to make Rebekah do a body jump into one of our friends, so we had Kol prepare another body for her to jump in just in case our plan didn't work out."

"That's such bullshit," Damon interjected, "He's trying to get us killed!"

All this talk of body swapping and original vampires in witches bodies made no sense.

Stefan silenced his brother.

"Say what you're telling us is true, how do you explain how Kol was able to prepare a body swap with a witch inside that house without getting trapped inside if he, himself, is a witch?"

"Relax," Marcel raised his hands, trying to calm the seething Salvatore and replied, "I looked into it. The body Kol's inhabiting right now is a direct descendent of the witch we used to cast the spell on the house, so it makes sense he's able to freely roam inside the house without getting trapped."

"Well, that's just fantastic!" Damon threw his arms in the air, "So let me get this straight, the only guy who is capable of lifting the curse, is the original we killed!"

"Wait, what?" Marcel exclaimed, "You killed Kol? Why?"

"_'It's a long story,_'" Damon frowned.

Stefan began to explain seeing this was going downhill, "It was to complete this tattoo to find a cure to –"

"A TATTOO?" Marcel exclaimed.

"I know, it sounds terrible. But–"

"You do realize he'll be out to kill you, right?"

"Well, we didn't expect him to come back to life, y'know, after killing him and all," Damon elaborated, "We seem to have a problem with dead people staying dead nowadays."

"You're one to speak," Stefan muttered.

"What?" Marcel looked questionably, utterly confused with the whole conversation.

"Like I said," Damon repeated, "**It's a long story**."

"Well, surely you had a plan on how to get Kol to help us. Our past with him shouldn't interfere with that," Stefan said trying to get back on topic.

"Actually, I wasn't going to ask him to help us," Marcel replied.

"Great. That's just great," Damon grunted, "Let me guess, you just so conveniently happen to have a handy-dandy witch in your back pocket to help us."

"In fact," Marcel reached into his pants pocket, "I do."

He pulled out a cellphone. Damon rolled his eyes.

"She's a friend of mine," Marcel explained, "I messaged her a while ago while I was at the bar."

"Then what's the point of us being here if you already have a witch?" Stefan asked.

"One vampire and one witch against a house full of deranged witches," he pointed out, "It's not exactly a fair fight."

"So we're essentially going to die before we meet Klaus," Damon mocked, "Just promise me when you present my dead corpse to Klaus, please give him a message from me saying that he's a dick for not answering his phone."

"Hey, hey, hey. We can do this," Marcel encouraged, "It used to be just me against all the werewolves and witches of this town. I took over New Orleans with my bare hands and I came out on top. Trust me when I say, '_We can do this_.'"

Damon and Stefan glanced at each other, trying to decide whether or not to make the gamble.

"Fine," Stefan said, "But you better make damn sure we get out of here alive."

Marcel grinned, "Trust me, we got this."

* * *

><p><em><strong>20 minutes before…<strong>_

Davina could feel the warmth of his hands melt into hers. The way his hand pressed against her palms made her heart want to leap out of her chest.

_Stop it, Davina. You need to focus on the spell. _

It was true. She needed to focus. Kaleb, Kol, whoever he was, was relying on her to help him with his spell to put Klaus to rest. She would have plenty of time to daydream about the gorgeous boy when Klaus was asleep and locked up in a coffin in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But for now, she must concentrate.

As Kol and Davina held each other's hands, the dagger and diamond between them, they continued to chant the spell in unison.

"_Thres matos no metas utos los phaysas_."

They continually repeated those phrases, every syllable in sync, every vowel emphasized, and every word rolled off their tongue. Kol pulled away and set the objects down, Davina looked at him concerned when the surge of magic between them ceased.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't understand," he shook his head, "Why isn't it working?"

"Maybe we need to give it more time," she offered, "It is kind of a complicated spell."

"No," he scowled, "That's not it."

"Well," she went to grab the diamond, "Maybe they gave you a fake diamond, I mean they cou–"

Kol viciously snatched it away from her and she looked at him shocked by his actions.

"No, that's not it," he insisted, he lifted the diamond in his hand where a glow began to emit, "I can feel the magic flowing through it, it's not the diamond."

"Then maybe–"

"It's you," he bluntly stated.

She looked at him offended, "Just because you're a thousand years old, you think you're suddenly better at magic than me. For all we know, it's _you_!"

"I'm sorry, but are you the child of a powerful witch, and have you worked with some of the craftiest witches all your life?" Kol challenged her to speak, but she just glared at him in silence, "That's what I thought. No, you haven't."

Davina scoffed, "I'm a harvest witch. I'm more powerful than the body of the witch you've taken over."

"How about you worry less about me, and more about perfecting that spell," Kol frowned, "The sooner we do this, the sooner we get rid of Klaus."

"I'm trying!"

"Well, clearly not hard enough little miss harvest girl," Kol moved to look out the window, "It's only a matter of time before Marcel and Klaus realize that Rebekah is trapped somewhere. They'll know it's of my doing. They're going to kill me, you understand that?"

"Yeah, but–" she sighed.

"They're going to kill me, again. And they're going to keep killing me until they see fit to bring me back," he yelled.

"Then I'll protect you!"

"No," he shook his head, "You can't."

He turned away from her and stared out the window again.

"That's why this time I have to beat them to it. I have to kill them before they kill me."

_**DING! **_Davina's phone rung. She went to check it and saw a text message light up on the screen.

**Marcel:** Can we talk?

Those three words never meant anything good. But she reluctantly replied.

**Davina:** Uh, sure. Where at?

**Marcel:** I'll send you the address.

Putting her phone in the back of her pocket she said, "Look, I'm going out, okay? I'll be back in a few."

Kol sighed, "Fine, but we'll start again in an hour."

"Whatever," Davina said as she slipped on a jacket and started to head out.

She didn't understand why he was being like this. Just a week ago they had shared their first kiss together. Sure, she knew he was manipulative and secretive, but he was also sweet and caring… but whenever he talked about his brother, he would change. He would become consumed by his vengeance and take his frustration out on her when things didn't work out.

She could do this, she knew she could. All she had to do was meet-up with Marcel for a while, and then go straight back to working on that spell. But one thing was certain:

She was going to prove him wrong.

* * *

><p>Impatiently tapping his index finger on his glass, Klaus listened to the werewolves' leader, Jackson, speak to him while his pack littered the compound. Klaus could hear them messing around with his priceless artifacts, hanging by the stairwell, and leaping off the balcony. They were like a bunch of kindergarteners on their first day of recess, except their playground just so happened to be his home.<p>

As they sat comfortably in his study, Klaus tried to ignore his untamed pack outside.

He pushed his frustration to the back of his mind and spoke, "I realize it's rather strange not to have the bride-to-be here present to discuss these matters, but we need to plan the wedding."

After hearing the myth that if two werewolf clans' leaders marry, then their powers will be shared amongst the pack, Klaus had agreed to a marriage between Hayley and Jackson. It's not like he was emotionally bound to the woman anyways, she just so happened to be the mother of his child.

The only reason the werewolves were obliged to serve Esther was because she granted them an enchanted ring that would help them control when they transformed. No longer would they have to be a slave to the moon. But with Hayley as a hybrid, she could freely turn into a wolf whenever she wished. So if she married Jackson, then there was a possibility that her hybrid capabilities would shared with the rest of the pack.

"I understand," Jackson said as he repositioned himself on the chair in front of Klaus' desk, "The sooner the marriage, the sooner my pack won't have to work for Esther and Finn anymore."

"Yes, but that also brings up the question of whether or not this little myth of yours is true," he pointed out, "For all we know, it could be a farce."

Jackson nodded knowingly, "Yes, well, we have no other lead. If we can't at least try, then the wolves are lost forever. We'll just be slaves for the rest of our lives. We need to try this."

"And we shall as soon as it's safe to do so."

"_Safe_," Jackson scoffed, "When has it ever been safe in New Orleans?"

"True," Klaus admitted, "But better safe than sorry. With my eldest brother and father on the loose, I must advise we wait until we at least know what they're up to."

"Well, the longer we wait the more at risk my pack's safety becomes," Jackson exclaimed, "Finn will come after my pack, I'm sure of it, and he will seek vengeance for betraying him and his mother. How long do you think it will be before he starts murdering the women and children of our pack?"

Klaus began to tap more impatiently on his glass. How dare this low-life speak to him in such a way, and how dare his mongrels take siege in his home. He was Klaus Mikaelson, the original hybrid, the most powerful being on the planet. No one spoke to him like that, not unless they wanted to die.

He calmed his temper and settled with an intimidating glare.

"I understand the danger your pack will be facing, but I will not risk having our one chance of retaliating be ruined," he gritted through his teeth.

"So you're willing to compromise the safety of mine and Hayley's people just to wait for your brother to attack us first," Jackson mocked, "Figures, what would you know about taking care of others? All your life you've only taken care of yourself. The only thing that matters to you is you and stupid little kingdom."

"I would watch your tone with me," the hybrid seethed, "You don't understand what you're talking about. You know nothing of my family, nor my plans."

"No," Jackson angrily stood up, Klaus meeting him, "You don't understand what it means to have the lives of people who look up to you in your hands."

They glared at each other, the tension in the room rising.

Jackson spoke again in a low stern voice, "If you can't understand that. Understand this: I am the _Alpha_ of my pack, and everything I do, I do for _them_. I will do whatever it takes to protect them and ensure their safety because it is my duty as their leader. If you cannot grant me that privilege then I want no business here."

Klaus thought for a moment, his eyes still bearing into the wolf.

"If safety is what you seek, I will personally see to it that you and your pack are properly situated in the city while we wait for an opportunity to marry you and Hayley. But for now, you _have _to be patient."

It was more of a demand than an offer, but that was all Klaus was willing to give. The hybrid could not be budged. He had a plan and he was not going to stray from it. Rebekah was still lost, Kol was up to no good, Elijah was still not the same since being saved, and Finn and Mikael were still free. The king would not make his move until his pawns were in position. Everything had to be perfect before any big plans were set in stone.

"Fine," Jackson reluctantly agreed, Klaus relaxed at his admittance, "We will wait, but my people need shelter and protection."

"Very well, I will look into housing for your pack as soon as possible and will notify you when the arrangements have been made."

Jackson nodded and began to leave the room, Klaus followed behind.

He watched on top of the staircase as his pack members almost instinctively stopped what they were doing and followed their leader out the gate. He envied their loyalty to him, their respect for him. He was no more than your average werewolf, and yet, he had the devotion of many. _But how?_

As soon as he heard the clatter of the gate shut, he walked into his study and closed the door.

For a while he stood in the middle of the room seething.

Grabbing the legs of a chair, he slammed it against the wall snapping it into a billion splinters. Taking the edges of the sofa, he flipped it over and ripped at its cushions, fluffs of cotton flying everywhere. Mercilessly kicking at his desk, papers scattered the floor as he stomped on the wood several times.

So what, he was angry. What else was new?

_**What would you know about taking care of others…**_

He seized a Venetian vase and chucked it at the opposite wall watching it shatter upon impact, leaving a dent. Taking another, he did same thing again.

_**You don't understand…**_

Using his clenched fists, he punched at the wall, easily breaking through the wood. Tearing at it, he ferociously tore pieces of it out.

_**I am the Alpha…**_

He knocked down the bookcase, its contents thudding to the floor. Crushing the shelves with his heel, the whole frame was brutally distorted to the point where it could no longer stand. Taking the books, he shoved them into the fireplace, igniting the cluster with a single match, watching the inferno eagerly ate at the pages. As the books incinerated in the heat, Klaus continued to throw in more, one book at a time before stopping.

It was his sketch book.

He hadn't touched it in so long. Gently opening it he looked through the pages, careful not to fold the edges. Though the sheets were tinted with age, the paper was still viable. The book was filled with old sketches of landscapes and people. Some were done with pencil, and others in black charcoal. His fingers brushed against each page, feeling the indentations of his work. Turning another page he paused.

It was a picture he drew of Caroline.

He swore he burned all his sketches of her a long time ago, so how did this one manage to survive?

He remembered sitting in his study the night of the ball and drawing this picture. Every curve of his hand as he drew her did no justice to how beautiful she was that night, and although the night hadn't ended has he had hoped, for whatever reason he couldn't stop thinking about what she said.

_**You don't connect with people because you don't even try to understand them. **_

As much as he hated to admit it, she had nailed him the moment she said those words to him.

He had no need to get to know people, unless they were planning to kill him or vice versa, he didn't see it as something necessary nor something essential to his way of life. Getting involved with other people was dangerous, and the only people he cared about was his family anyway, so what was the point?

He knew he was careless and selfish and controlling and, heck, throw in a bit cocky, but he didn't care. But hearing her blatantly state that he was, in fact, those things, caught him completely off guard. Here he was wooing her with gifts and promises to see the world, and she just shut him down. Very brave of her, he'd give her that, but very foolish as well. Had she forgotten what he was capable of?

He probably could've just plunged his hand into her chest cavity and kill her in that very moment, but he didn't. It would've been too easy to end it right then and there. Klaus had always been one for the chase, and he was out to win her over, and more importantly: Prove her wrong.

Yes, he was master at terrorizing supernatural beings (as well as the non-supernatural). But he was also popular with the ladies, and it only piqued his interest that this particular blonde was immune to his charms. Granted she was spoken for, but as if that would ever stop him from getting what he wanted before. It was both intriguing and frustrating. Had he not saved her life, given her extravagant gifts, and treated her like a gentlemen? Yes, yes, and yes. And yet she still stubbornly refused to fall for his whims.

_Women_, he thought. _Always so confusing_.

Though it was Esther who requested him to bring someone to the ball, the truth of the matter was, he only used that as an excuse to invite her. It seemed _reasonable_. His mother would be happy and he would have a date he could ravish later that night.

But my god, the moment she walked into the room, and his eyes were pulled away from the brunette he was flirting with, it was… it was…

He was speechless. The way her light blonde curls swiveled in spirals while the rest was pinned in a bun, the way her lips seemed to glisten under the lighting, and the way her body seemed to perfectly fit that blue gown left him flabbergasted. She was absolutely gorgeous.

But what really resonated with him was when they danced.

Because even when they were exchanging snarky responses to one another, nothing could deny that when they danced together, it was _magic_. Every twist and turn was enchanting, every push and pull provoking. The mere thought of their bodies touching was enticing. Oh how he yearned to hold her body close to his, to have his arms wrapped around her waist, and hers around his neck. The desire was almost too unbearable.

He couldn't think of a day when he didn't crave to dance with her again. She made it impossible not to fantasize about it.

Klaus set the sketchbook down with the rest of the books and papers that were now strewn all over the floor. Maneuvering around the trashed area, he headed to a separate room that was connected to his study and opened up a large trunk. Searching through the many trophies he had collected through the years, he finally came to what he had been searching for.

A strapless white dress with pearl beadings that intricately patterned the whole gown.

It was the dress he had lent Caroline for her prom night. It always amused him that she had turned to him, of all people, to help her with her dilemma. But it was worth it. Seeing her in that dress before anyone else could was an honor in and of itself. And the fact that it was _his_ help she had asked for made it even more satisfying to know that she had walked around proudly at her high school dance in a dress _he_ had given her.

He sadly smiled.

If only that night had gone as planned.

* * *

><p>Davina briskly walked through the busy streets of New Orleans, barely slowing her pace to get through the clusters of people. She had lived here all her life, getting by was hardly a hassle. Even after being locked up in a church, she never lost her ability to find her way through the crowded streets of her home.<p>

Glancing down at her phone, she reread the address as she did several times to constantly reassure herself she was going the right way. Despite her extensive knowledge of the streets, she had never been to this part of town. Unlike the loud and bustling sidewalks in the French Quarter, this one was more residential. Many of the houses that stacked every corner were rather old-looking, like they had been standing there for several decades, maybe even centuries.

Fearing the worst, she began to walk faster. It was midday, and yet the whole area gave her the creeps. Finally she spotted three figures in the distance. She slowed her pace.

_Who were those people? _

She looked back at her phone again reading the address. This was it, but why had Marcel brought company. She figured he wanted to talk about personal matters with her since they hadn't spoken since Rebekah's body swap.

That was it. He was here to ask her about Rebekah. She began to freak out. What if he knew what Kol did, then he'd hurt him, right? And then their plan to get rid of Klaus would be ruined. A dozen thoughts started to swirl in her mind. What should she do?

When she neared them, Marcel turned and greeted her with a big smile.

"Dee! You came!" he opened his arms and they hugged.

"Of course, I did," she smiled as they pulled away.

Davina looked at the two gentlemen next to him suspiciously. One had dark hair and pretty blue eyes, and wore a black leather jacket over a dark grey shirt, and dark denim jeans. The other had hazel brown hair, and wore a similar outfit to the other but in dark brown.

Marcel noticed her eyeing his two companions.

"Oh, yeah," taking her by the arm, he introduced them. "Davina, this is Damon," motioning to the dark-haired one with the gorgeous eyes, "And this is Stefan," motioning to the one with the funny looking hair.

"Hi," Stefan nodded.

"Hi," she returned.

Briefly smiling at her, Damon turned his attention to Marcel, "Are we going to do this or not?"

Marcel frowned at him, before returning his attention to Davina.

"These are some friends of Klaus."

Davina gave a disgusted look. _Oh great._

"I would hardly call us that," the brown-haired vampire remarked.

"If you mean trying to kill us and our friends is something that a buddy would do, call us '_Best Friends Forever_!'" Damon joked.

"So you're not friends with Klaus?" she questioned.

"No, we want him dead. But seeing he's the sire to our bloodline, we can't kill him," Damon muttered to himself.

Davina's eyes widened. _They're vampires!_

Stefan jumped in, "We need something from him and Marcel wouldn't agree to bring us to him unless we helped him–"

"Look," Marcel interrupted seeing how confused she was getting, "I need a little favor. You remember Rebekah, right?"

There it was. She knew it. Marcel wanted her help to save Rebekah just as she suspected. She looked to the side and studied the house they stood in front of. That must be it. That must be the Fauline House.

She hesitantly looked back at her friend, "What do you need?"

"Well, if I'm right, Rebekah is trapped in that house as we speak. That would explain why she hasn't returned," he explained, "All we need to do is run in there and get her."

"But I can't go in there, I'll be trapped!" she exclaimed.

Marcel looked at her questionably. _How did she know that?_ He didn't recall telling her anything about the curse set on the Fauline House, but Damon interrupted his train of thought.

"Yeah, Marcel," the dark-haired Salvatore sided next to the witch, "How will she save dear sweet Rebekah without being trapped?" He leaned over to her and said, "Don't worry, little witch, he's been keeping secrets from us too."

Marcel moved forward, "Get away from her, Damon."

Stefan intervened holding him back while Damon smugly watched.

"No, tell us the full plan," Stefan joined, "How are we going to save Rebekah without getting killed?"

"She doesn't need to step into the house to save her," Marcel explained, "She just needs to stay outside the door and lift the curse once we find Rebekah. That's it."

"Well, then what are we waiting for," Damon said, "Let's do this!"

They began to walk towards the house, but Davina grabbed Marcel's arm.

"Wait," she yelled, they turned to look at her, "How do we even know if I can lift the curse? I've never–"

Marcel knelt down, and encouraging squeezed her shoulders, "Trust me. I've seen what you can do. I saw you stop the white oak stake from killing Klaus."

Stefan and Damon looked at her astounded.

"I know you can do this," Marcel assured, "You're a harvest witch, Dee, you can do anything."

Davina smiled at his words. Taking her hand, Marcel led her to the cottage. Though the looming house drew nearer and nearer, she felt safe as she clung to Marcel. As they walked up the front porch, Marcel turned back to his companions.

"You guys got the plan, right?"

"You run in, get Rebekah, then witchy here casts some magical spell to allow her to cross, and we get to drag an original's ass down to Mystic Falls with us," Damon grinned.

"Oh I'm not going alone," Marcel smirked, "One of you is coming with me. Got to make sure you guys are holding up your end of the deal."

Damon snarled at him.

"He's right," Stefan moved to stand next to Marcel, "I'll go."

Damon rolled his eyes, "Typical Stefan, always got to be the saving grace."

"Then it's settled, we'll go inside and find Rebekah while you stay out here with Davina."

"I don't need to be babysat," Davina frowned.

"That's not what I meant," Marcel said calmly, "I just need to make sure–"

"That I don't run away," she finished.

"No, that's not what I mea–"

"C'mon," Stefan pushed, "We need to do this now, we've wasted too much time."

Marcel regrettably looked back at her, then nodded at Stefan.

They ripped the wooden boards that were nailed to the door and threw them aside. Stefan then kicked the jammed entrance, the doors flung open, slamming against the walls. Inside the air was thick with musk, and there was very little light, only the dim flickering light of a few candles. Dust covered the furniture, and hordes of books and clothing littered the floors. Marcel and Stefan hesitantly looked at each other.

Motioning his arm towards the opening, Damon said, "_Ladies first_."

Marcel frowned and shoved him aside, "Let's go."

Stefan and Marcel walked into the dark house unbeknownst what awaited them. But just before they disappeared into the darkness, Damon swore he heard laughter from upstairs.

* * *

><p>He remembered sitting in his car outside the Lockwood estate, his hands gripping the steering wheel. He didn't remember driving there. All he remembered was the torture that ate at him as he sat lonely in that empty house. Though she had left long ago, he could still smell the sweet scent of her on his body. Oh how he wished he had never let her go.<p>

He remembered that much, but how did he get here? He didn't recall rushing into his car and jabbing the key into the ignition, or firing up the engine so he could drive like mad man down the road all the way here. Why was he even here? What could be waiting for him inside? …Maybe a certain blonde vampire.

Sure, he might've eavesdropped on Rebekah and Elijah's conversation after storming out of the room in anger, and he might've heard his brother's challenge for his sister to spend a day as a human. And he also may or may not have overheard her telling him she'd be attending prom and an after party at the Lockwood's house just so Elijah knew where to find her and make sure she was holding up her end of the deal. But there was no evidence he did that because at the time, he was a little angry at his siblings. But even in his fit of rage, he had just caught that teeny bit of information of where Caroline might be after prom. And although during that time between leaving angrily and arriving at the mansion he had produced a master plan with Silas to foil his siblings deal, it was never in his agenda to arrive here.

So there he was, sitting out in his car, gripping the steering wheel while staring at the Lockwood mansion.

_This is ridiculous_, he thought.

He began to thrum his fingers on the wheel, his thoughts contradicting each other. On one hand he wanted to see her, just one more time before he left. But on the other hand, he knew he was being foolish and that he should just leave their relationship where it was before anything got too serious. He had hoped to catch one last glimpse of her at the prom when he came to distract his sister, but she had already left.

She hugged him, wasn't that enough? He sighed. Of course it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. Not until she was his forever, and only _his_. But he knew that would never happen. In the back of his mind, he knew she'd never want to be with him because no matter how many times he'd come to save her and no matter how much attention he'd give her, no amount of luxurious gifts could erase what he'd done. He killed her best friend and her aunt to complete a ritual, he sired her boyfriend and killed his mother, then ran him out of town, and the two times she almost died was because of him. And because even if there was a small chance that they might be together, he knew he'd mess it up. He always messed it up. His family resented him and it's not like he had any friends. He was alone.

_Infinitely and utterly alone._

He started to put the key back in the ignition to drive away, turning on the engine so the rumble of the car reverberated. He changed the gears and prepared to drive away, but the moment he rested his hands on the wheel again, he stopped.

He remembered seeing her walk into the ballroom in the pretty blue dress he got her, wearing her white gloves and the bracelet he gave her. He remembered seeing her in her little red dress at the high school Decade Dance and the lovely way the lose threads dangled from her body. He remembered dancing with her, feeling her body inches away from his. The way she gently rested her hand on his shoulder and how her delicate hand fit so perfectly in his as they swayed to the music.

_Every twist and turn enchanting, every push and pull provoking._

Killing the engine, he got out of the car and started heading up the drive way to the front porch of the house. If he was going to leave forever, he was going to at least say good-bye. The parking lot was still empty, so he knew the high school dance wasn't over yet. But he figured Caroline would get to the after party early to help set-up.

The plan was simple: Say good-bye to Caroline and… and then what? He hadn't thought that far yet. Actually, he hadn't even planned on being here in the first place. But he didn't care. He just had to see her, just one last time because even if he thought it was a foolish or a ridiculous thing to do, he knew, all he wanted before he left was _one last dance_.

He was about to head up the front porch steps when he heard the front door open. Like a teenage boy scared of getting caught after sneaking out of his girlfriend's house, he shamefully hid behind a bush. A figure walked out and shut the front door. The moment Klaus recognized the figure to be his former hybrid, he rushed behind him.

"Was it worth it," he said gravely, "To see her smile, to make her dream night come true?"

Tyler turned to look at Klaus, horror in his eyes, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Was. It. Worth. It," he reiterated as he loomed over his inferiority.

But Tyler refused to say anything back.

"In the shared interest of giving Caroline the night of her dreams, I'm going to allow you five seconds before I rip your heart out of your chest," he began to count, "Five, four, three…"

Tyler disappeared and Klaus was left alone on the front porch. He looked towards the direction he had left and then back at the front door. Caroline was in there, probably just as stunning as always. He eyed the door knob, tempted to go in, but stopped himself.

She didn't want him, nor would she ever. One prom dress didn't make up for all his wrongs, it didn't make him her best choice, and it would never amount to having Tyler present on her dream night. She could have no dress and not even go to the dance, but if Tyler was there, that would still make the perfect prom night for her. Walking down from the steps he headed back to his car. He started the engine, and drove out of the drive way, and began to head home.

He had to go pack, big plans waited for him in New Orleans.

* * *

><p><strong>YAY! The end of the chapter! This chapter was actually supposed to be waaay longer, but I decided it was too much to pack into one chapter and frankly, I just don't have the time. I feel an obligation to you guys to post within a week, and there was just no way I could fit everything I wanted to before Sunday. So I cut it short. Plus, I have this thing about leaving chapters at a cliff-hanger or on a sweet note. It's just how I live my life, yo. I've come to realize that my chapters are getting longer and longer because there's just so much I want to pack! Maybe one day I'll be able to, but we'll see. <strong>

**Anyways, so if you guys follow me on twitter (if not, you should) you know that I post and retweet a bunch of klaroline related stuff. One day I saw that a bunch of people were tweeting one of the TO writers, Declan de Barra ( declandebarra please annoy the shit out of him), and asking him questions. If you're updated on TO, they just released some preview pictures of the start of the new season and one of them revealed that Camille meets Hope which makes no sense why she would meet Hope if it puts Hope in danger? And that's basically what everyone was tweeting him, like what was the point of Camille meeting Hope or what was the point of Camille's character in general. And these tweets weren't mean or anything, they were just serious questions about the show and this bitch basically says shit like "Go read fanfiction and be happy" or say some smartass remark to avoid the question. Usually I don't do this, but this guy was being such an ass that I tweeted "Come talk to us when you have more respect for the show's fans" and then I had the frog and coffee cup emojis. Then you know what happened? The bitch blocked me! That's right guys, instead of facing the facts that Camille is a shit character, they choose to ignore the fans' constructive criticism. And that's the story of my first time getting blocked by a TO writer. I'd like to thank all my favorite KC tweeters for teaching me how to stand up for my fandom and how to call out the writers' shit. So fuck you, Mr. Declan.**

**On a side not, I've been really anticipating to write this Klaroline scene. I know I had the prom scene in Caroline's hallucinations, but there was still more I wanted to add! Like I can't be the only one who was wondering WHY Klaus was at the Lockwood mansion on prom night, right? I mean first he came up with a plan to foil Elijah and Rebekah's little deal, and then left to go to the prom to distract Rebekah while Silas pretended to be her to get the cure from Elijah. And that's where his evil plan should've ended. And yet, for some reason, he shows up at the Lockwood mansion somehow knowing Caroline would be there. **

**Why?**

**I'd like to think that Rebekah was planning to go there to continue to pretend to be human and Klaus overhead her, and that while he was driving home after successfully ruining her plans, he thought about seeing Caroline. I'd also like to think that the reason he showed up was because he wanted to share one last dance with her because besides champagne, dancing is also their thing and it was prom night, wouldn't one last dance be appropriate? He did give her the dress after all. But of course they didn't dance. I know, crushing everyone's hopes and dreams, I'm sorry... but I feel like he would've changed his mind the moment he saw Tyler, like he was reminded that Caroline WAS NOT in love with him (and that's something I truly believe that she is NOT in love with Klaus.. not yet at least). And I think it was that realization that gave him the push to leave and go to New Orleans thinking she wouldn't miss him (but we know that was obviously wrong). So yeah, maybe originally he planned to say good-bye and share one last dance with her, but that was all thrown away. **

**Alright, I'm done rambling for tonight. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! **

**QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER!**

**Who do you think the witches are referring to as "_she_"?**

**As always, READ, REVIEW, & SHARE!**

**Hopefully I'll update on time, its getting harder and harder to find time to type these chapters. BYE GUYS.**

**If you don't already, follow me on twitter klarophant and tumblr carolineishislast**


	9. Chapter 9 All Hell on Earth

**Hey klarophants, **

**I'll try to keep this brief, so you guys can move on with your lives. I have to be honest you guys, I've started to lose my motivation to write this story for said reasons that will be ranted about at the end of the chapter. I was surprised that I was able to finish this chapter at all considering school, and work, and my lack of motivation. But nevertheless, I did, and I think this ended up being one of my longest chapters? Idk. I'll check later. But enjoy, I wanted to make sure I threw in one more chapter before the (un)Originals and the Vampire Diaries come back on. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: All Hell on Earth<strong>

The uncanny silence sent chills down their backs. Every step inside bringing more anxiety.

Stefan stumbled over something.

"Watch your step," Marcel said.

The dim light from the candles did little to aid their vision. Darkness seemed to wait for them at every corner, but you could still barely make out the faded silhouettes of the surrounding furniture. It was quite, _too quite_. Something none of them could comprehend. They feared they could be ambushed at any moment. But first, they had to find Rebekah. They felt around the sides, searching for a crack or some kind of opening that would lead to a room. After blindly groping for a door knob, Stefan finally felt the cold metal rub against his fingertips.

"Marcel," Stefan said in a low voice, "I think I found an opening."

Marcel moved to his direction as Stefan steadily opened the door.

As the door creaked open, they could see that room was lit up with several candles that sat around the whole room. A wooden desk rested in the middle, parchments of paper and folded letters littered its surface. The walls were painted red, covered with shelves of old books and strange collectables.

Stefan and Marcel cautiously walked inside and started looking through some of the stuff. While Marcel looked at the shelves, Stefan studied one of the maps that was hidden under several worn out parchments. Running his fingers over the map, Stefan noticed there were three locations marked. He looked at it questionably.

_Could this be a–_

"We better get going," Marcel patted his shoulder, "We still need to find Rebekah."

Stefan nodded. As they started to head out of the room, the Salvatore carefully folded the map and tucked it into his pocket.

After checking a couple other rooms, they proceeded to go upstairs. The rickety steps felt like they could fall apart at any moment as they steered their way up the winding stairs. When they reached the top, they noticed a small glimmering light in the distance. Going off that, they decided to try that room first. The door was already partially opened, and as they pushed it aside it bumped against something. Peering inside they saw a young black woman leaning against the foot of the bed. Her curly hair lay in a mess, sweat glistening on her forehead as dried blood trickled from her nose.

Stefan and Marcel warily went over to her and looked over her injuries. They noticed her hands and feet were both tied, and she looked very pale as if she hadn't eaten in days. Marcel's hand lightly brushed past her face as he felt for a pulse.

She was still alive.

The girl's eyes fluttered open in a daze.

"Marcel," she asked hoarsely, "Is that you?"

The two vampires looked at each other stunned. _Could this be her?_

"Rebekah?" Stefan hesitantly asked.

The girl turned her face to look at him confused.

"Stefan? What are you doing here?"

Marcel and Stefan nodded to each other. This was definitely their original.

"Rebekah, honey, we're here to get you out," Marcel said as he ripped the binds that tied her limbs, "We're taking you home."

Tears began to well in her eyes, she was finally going home. Rebekah weakly put her arms around Marcel's neck as he pulled her up in his.

Stefan and Marcel started heading to the door, "Alright, so all we need to do now is get out of here–"

"And where do you think you're going?" a stingy voice called from behind.

Turning, they were faced with a witch. Her tangled hair was tied under a bandana and she wore layers of large shirts that dangled over her knees. She had a toothy grin as she stared at her trespassers.

"I don't suppose you're trying to take away our dear sweet Lyn, are you?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but she's our friend," Stefan tried to reason, "We want no harm. We just want to take our friend home."

The witch danced forward, brushing her hand over Rebekah's shivering cheek.

"Don't be silly," she cooed, "Sweet Lyn doesn't want to leave."

Marcel and Stefan exchanged glances. This woman was obviously crazy.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we have to take her."

They started to exit the room when a pain began to hammer into their minds.

The two vampires bent over, nearly dropping Rebekah, yelling out in agony at the pounding pain. The witch leaned over and grinned directly at Marcel's face.

"I'd die before I'd let vampire-scum steal our sweet Evelyn."

She tried to yank Rebekah away from Marcel's arms, but he refused to let her go. While the witch was distracted, Stefan moved behind her and snapped her neck. Her body fell to the ground with a thud. Deafening screams began to fill the air and the house was suddenly illuminated with a thousand candles.

"Time to go!" Marcel ordered.

Lifting up Rebekah, they scrambled out of the room. Witches spilling out of every room. One witch ran forward and tried to stab Stefan with the broken leg of a chair, but he grasped her arm and twisted it. The sound her arm snapping, made the witch scream as the stake fell from her limp arm. Stefan grabbed the stake and stabbed her in the stomach.

Another witch came and looked down at her dead friend's body in shock and began to mutter a spell. Suddenly Stefan's body was straining, his nerves being torn apart. Marcel rushed forward and kicked the witch down with his leg, smashing her ribcage with his heels, as he smothered his foot into her chest.

When Stefan finally recovered, Marcel said, "We've got to keep going."

They continued to make their way through the long hallway when another witch jumped into their way. She chucked a kitchen knife at Marcel's leg forcing him to his knees, he grunted. Taking another knife, she chucked another that dug into his thigh. When Stefan went to pull it out, it wouldn't budge.

Marcel barked, "It's enchanted, it won't come out unless you kill her!"

Stefan turned back to the witch who was about to throw another knife and zoomed up to her. Taking the hand that held the blade, he shoved it into the side of her neck, and though blood spewed out of her mouth, a sick grin was still plastered on her face. Stefan looked at her confused as she giggled. She spit blood at his face and laughed louder.

"Go to hell," she grinned. Stefan pulled the knife out and stabbed her again, frightened by her response.

"Watch out, behind you!" Marcel screamed as a wooden table was hurled at him.

Stefan's body crashed against the opposite wall as the table collided into him. After gathering his senses, he lifted the table and threw it back at the witches who had attacked him, successfully knocking them to the ground. Marcel then pulled out the knives in his legs and plunged it into their chests.

Grabbing Rebekah, they stumbled down the stairs trying to get to the front door where Davina and Damon were. Loud laughter echoed through the house.

"Davina, lift the spell!" Marcel yelled as they ran down the winding stairs, "Lift the spell now!"

Davina began to chant, focusing her energy on the house. They reached the door and rushed to pass through, when _**BAM!**_ They couldn't.

Marcel looked at Davina desperately, "What, why can't we go through?"

Davina looked confused, "I don't know. The witches must be keeping you guys in!"

She started to chant again, but when they tried to pass through, they were still hit with a wall.

"Marcel, can you tell her to hurry up because I have a feeling it's going to get bad real fast," Stefan insisted as he saw witches running around each room giggling.

Davina frantically looked at him and the witches coming their way, "Marcel, why isn't it working?"

Marcel looked down at the ground, then back it her, "I guess its true then. Only the descendant of the witch who placed the spell on the house can lift it…"

"Well, I had a feeling this might happen," Damon yanked Davina's arm and demanded, "I did not come all this way just so we'd fail. Try the spell again."

"I can't," she yelped hopelessly under his firm grip, "I can't lift the spell!"

"Fine then," Damon shoved her through the door, trapping her inside the house with the rest of them.

"Damon!" Stefan yelled, "What the hell?"

"Don't worry brother," he grinned, "I've got this."

He lifted up a phone and began searching through it.

"Hey, that's my phone!" Davina shouted.

"Well, seeing that you decided not to cooperate and the fact that I'm in a pissy mood, I've decided to take matters into my own hands" he muttered as he continued to search through the phone.

The laughter began to grow louder and louder, witches slowly moving towards them with their crazed smiles.

"Would you mind hurrying up then?" Stefan pushed, "You know, like, before we die."

Two witches lunged forward, one landing on top of Davina and the other on Stefan. As they clawed at each other, Marcel set Rebekah down and pried them off together as he hit them against the wall. He grasped both their necks, squeezing out every last bit of life in them as their eyes bulged.

Only four witches left. They congregated together, linking their magic as one, and began chanting. Marcel and Stefan began to rise from the ground, their arms outstretched. Chunks off wood were hurled at them, nailing them against the wall, digging into their flesh. The witches cackled as they continued to stab a line of stakes up their bodies.

"No, stop it!" Davina screamed.

She ran forward with a stake in her hand and plunged it into the first witch's chest. The witch screamed into her ear. One-by-one the others fell with her as she slumped to the ground with the rest of her fallen brethren. The house became silent, only the sounds of their heavy breaths filled the halls.

Running back to Marcel, Davina pulled out the wooden stakes that nailed him to the wall. When his wounds had healed, he helped Stefan down. With their shirts punctured with holes and their bodies very sore, Marcel laughed.

"I told you we'd survive."

Stefan frowned at him, walking to the entrance, he tried to walk through, but they were still trapped inside.

"I don't get it, the witches are dead and yet we still can't get out."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Marcel sighed, "Either I was wrong about being able to escape freely, or there's another witch still alive in here."

Stefan shook his head annoyed, "So what was your big plan, Damon? Throw the only witch available to us into the house we now can't escape."

"No," Damon said matter-a-factly, "My big plan was to the throw the uncooperative witch into the house you guys can't escape and call a witch who'd come save her."

Marcel and Stefan looked at him questionably.

"There," Damon threw the phone back at Davina, "I called your boyfriend. He should be here soon to save your guys' asses. You're welcome."

"Who?"

Damon grinned, "Kol."

* * *

><p>He remembered taking a step outside the hut. Looking around, everything was more vibrant and clearer, it was almost blinding. He could see the small indents between the bark, the lines that sprung from a leaf's stem, the maggots eating at last night's supper. The world seemed more vivid. But that wasn't all he could do. His hearing was more keen, his senses more pristine. Everything was heightened that it gave him a headache.<p>

But he felt stronger, like he could do anything.

He was the first to wake before the rest of his siblings. The pain in his chest where his father had plunged his sword in was almost unbearable, but the wound was completely healed now. After he was force fed blood, his father told him to hunt while he waited for the rest of his siblings to awaken. But how? Before, when he was a frail human, he'd use his spear and dagger. But now, he felt like he could tear apart forests with his bare hands.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the woods. Elijah's head quickly snapped in the direction of the sound. Taking a deep breath, he could smell the creature no more than a couple miles away. He began to stalk in that direction. Finding himself deep in the woods, he hid behind a tree, studying the creature when he suddenly realized what he was after.

What he had thought was an animal, was actually just a meager human-being. A young lad from town gathering wood for his family. Elijah began to walk away, when he heard the boy yelp.

"Ouch!" the boy went as he shook his hand.

Elijah turned immediately back to the boy. He must've cut himself with the wood, a minor injury, but blood dribbled from the cut. When Elijah caught a whiff of it he suddenly felt this hunger to drink it. Fangs poked at his lips. Frightened, Elijah snapped out of it, feeling his teeth return back to normal.

This was wrong. This was so wrong. Why was he feeling this way? Why did every part of his body tell him to kill that boy? He was human. He couldn't possibly kill a human.

Elijah shook his head, trying to suppress the urge to drink every last drop of that boy's blood. He had to get out of there before he did something he'd regret. He began to walk away.

Setting down his gathered wood, the boy lifted up his cut finger and began to wrap it tightly with a cloth one layer at a time to stop the bleeding.

"Hello there," a voice called.

The boy looked up towards the figure scared, but let out a sigh of relief when he realized it was someone from town.

"Elijah," he smiled.

"What brings you to the woods so late at night?" Elijah stalked forward.

"Just gathering wood," the boy lightly kicked at his pile of sticks, "Mama says it's going to be a cold winter this year, so I thought I'd go get some wood before everyone else takes them."

Elijah chuckled, "Well, that's very thoughtful of you to think of your family like that."

"I guess."

Elijah continued to move closer, "What's that you got there?"

"Oh," the boy looked down at his bandaged hand that he was indicating at, "I just got a little cut is all."

Elijah was next to him now.

"May I?" he extended his hands.

The boy hesitantly rested his hand in his allowing Elijah to unwrap it revealing the bloody mess. Despite the bandage, the wound still continued to bleed. The wood must've cut deeper than he had expected. He gently caressed his fingers, his eyes never leaving the blood. His eyes became dark, veins crawling under his eyes.

"Wait, what are you doing?" the boy exclaimed, as Elijah pushed on the cut, forcing more blood to come out, "Ouch that hurts!"

The boy tried to pull away from Elijah, but his grip was too strong.

"Elijah? Elijah!" he screamed.

His eyes finally met the boy's, the boy was frightened as his eyes were met with Elijah's deep red ones.

Lifting his wrist to his mouth Elijah said, "Allow me."

Opening his mouth, his sharp fangs were revealed. He plunged them into the boy's wrist and greedily drank from it. The boy shrieked, ripping himself away.

Elijah touched his chin, droplets of blood spilled out of his mouth. He looked at his blooded hands in horror. He looked back at the boy and screamed, "Run! Now! Run now!"

Without hesitation the boy dashed away from him leaving his pile of sticks.

Looking back down, Elijah's hands shook. They were covered in blood, that boy's blood, human blood. The treachery he committed began to eat at him. This was wrong. This was so wrong. This was not supposed to happen. This was not right.

And yet, even as he thought those words, his eyes still stayed fixated on the blood and his fangs still extended from his teeth. A burning desire began to gnaw at him, an unceasingly yearning to have more overwhelming his desires.

_What was happening to him?_

Elijah dashed towards the direction the boy had ran. Not used to his superhuman speed, he stumbled into a tree trying to find his balance. Sniffing the air, he could still smell the blood oozing from the boy's wound. He wasn't far. Elijah dashed forward again, this time the boy was in sight. The boy staggered and fell to the ground.

The boy whimpered, another cut on his arm. Sitting up, he began to cradle his it.

Elijah stepped forward, the boy looked up at him, tears rolling down his eyes.

"Are you a monster?" the boy sobbed.

Elijah knelt down in front of the crying boy. The boy tried to move away, but Elijah put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't move," he said as he stared into the young boy's eyes.

The boy sat frozen in his place.

"Don't scream," he compelled, "It will all be over soon."

He sank his fangs into the boy's neck and began to feast on his blood. The young boy didn't move and didn't scream. He just sat there silently as Elijah drained him, and when the last drop of blood was siphoned out of him, the boy's pale body fell to the ground. Dead.

There was a knock on the door and suddenly Elijah was pulled away from his memories.

"Elijah?" Hayley called form behind the bathroom door, "Are you okay?"

"Uh… yes, I'm fine."

"Well, could you hurry up? You've kind of been in there for a while and I need to shower."

"I'll be out soon."

He could hear Hayley's footsteps move away from the door as she left the room.

The pitter patter of water splashing against the shower floor rung in the bathroom. The hot beads rolling down his body. Facing the showerhead, he let the water trickle down his face with his eyes closed. Taking his hands, he ran them through his hair, pushing it back revealing his forehead. He sighed, letting the water continue to dribble down his body.

_Why had he remembered that night?_

Taking a bar of soap, he pushed away his thoughts and proceeded to massage the soap over his body until every inch of him was covered. Putting the soap down, he began to rub is so it produced bubbles. He rubbed his arms, and chest, and legs. When too much water had accumulated on his face, he brushed it aside with his hands. But when he brought his hands down to rub the soap away on his arms he saw they were covered in blood.

He looked down at his bloodied hands in horror. He frantically tried to wash them under the running water, but the blood remained. He then wiped it on his body, but it only smudged over his skin. He began to freak out, grabbing a bottle of body wash and he spewed soap into his hands and rubbed them all over his body, trying to get rid of the blood. But just as soon as the bubbles were washed away, the stains of blood remained.

Elijah stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wiping every inch of him until he was dry. He looked back at himself in the mirror. Dried blood ran down the sides of his mouth, all over his chin, and covered his throat. His eyes were red and his fangs out, a maniacal grin dancing on his lips. Frightened, he ran out of the bathroom only to run into Hayley.

"Whoa there, mister," she stopped him, "You might want to put some clothes on."

Elijah looked at her confused, he studied himself when he realized he had only a white towel wrapped around his waist.

He struggled to find his words, "I, uh–"

She giggled at his embarrassment.

"It's ok, I don't mind," she poked at his chest, "But we have a baby in this house, so go put some clothes on and watch over her while I go shower."

She walked past him and locked the door behind her. As the shower began to run again, Elijah just stood in place rubbing his forehead. He sighed.

_When would the nightmares end?_

* * *

><p>Kol stomped over to the house. Damon was leaning up against one of the house beams, Davina sitting next to Marcel and Rebekah, and Stefan pacing inside the house. The sounds of his sneakers thudding against the concrete as he walked up to the front porch drew their attention. He had an annoyed expression. Damon pushed off the beam so he was standing up straight and turned to face him with a smug grin.<p>

"Well, look who decided to show up," the dark-haired Salvatore jeered, "I must say, Kol, you're not as handsome as I remember."

Kol scoffed at the Salvatore, "Save it, where's Davina?"

He nodded towards the house, "She's getting cozy inside the house, y'know, getting used to the fact she'll be stuck in there for an eternity."

Kol glared at him, his lips pressing into a thin line.

"That is unless," Damon moved towards him, "You save her."

Kol made a move to get away, but Damon stopped him.

"And while you're here, why don't you save my brother and his little friends while you're at it. What's the saying again? Kill two birds with one stone?" Damon laughed to himself.

"And if I choose not to?" Kol said through his gritted teeth.

"Well," Damon inched closer, asserting his dominance over his, "I guess I'd have to kill you, and we'll see if you're so lucky with the afterlife now that the Other Side is gone."

They exchanged glares for a while before he turned to face Davina.

"Why did you come here, Davina?"

"I, I didn't know this would happen," she wailed.

"Well, now look where you are," he snapped, Davina looked down guiltily.

"Hey, hey, hey," Marcel jumped in, "This isn't her fault. She was just helping me out."

"Well, she won't be much help stuck in that house. No witch can lift the spell on this house except a direct descendant of the witch who placed the spell. Lucky for you guys, I am," he turned to Damon, "I accept your deal if you promise to leave me and Davina alone."

Damon pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Stefan. It seemed too easy, the Kol they remembered was more conniving and mischievous. Something was up.

"Fine," he raised his hand, "Deal."

Kol shook his hand and moved away from the porch. Walking back to the front gate, he pulled the porcelain doll's head off the entrance and came back to them. He held it up so the four of them could observe it.

"This is the only thing keeping them inside the house."

Kol began to chant.

_Les zios kantos gaisos von leefious motos haitis fe phosious _

He repeated that phrase three times before taking the doll's hand and smashing it against the ground. Letting the doll shatter into a million pieces.

Damon looked at the remnants of the doll confused, "Pfft, I could've done that."

Stefan rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the house, the rest followed after him.

Kol roughly pulled Davina to him and said, "Don't you ever do that again."

"Look, I'm sorry. I was trying to help a friend, but then things just got out of hand and–"

Kol pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. Davina was shocked, he seemed so angry when he arrived. She was sure he'd lecture her about it.

"I was so worried," he said.

He pulled away, as Davina looked at him full of hope.

"Go back home, I'll call you later. Okay?"

Davina nodded and skipped away as Kol turned back to the others.

"So, we have the original bitch and you're free from the house. Now let's go get us an original hybrid!" Damon cheered.

"You're right. A deal's a deal, I'll bring you guys to Klaus now," Marcel said as he carried Rebekah's limp body.

They began to walk.

"Where exactly does Klaus live anyways?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, just inside the French Quarter on–"

They stopped when Kol stepped in their path with an evil grin on his face.

"And where do you lads think you're going?"

Stefan stepped forward, "Come on, Kol, we had a deal."

"Yeah, so do yourself a favor and step aside before I kill you," Damon jumped in irritated.

"Funny thing about that deal. I lied. You know, while I was stuck on the Other Side, I had a lot of time to think about how I wanted this to play out. I mean, how is it fair that I was killed to help Jeremy complete his stupid tattoo? I was trying to save the world from all hell on earth being released, but did anyone listen to me? No," Kol began to walk towards them slowly, "And you know what else? It really, really hurt when that stake was driven into my heart and when the flames burned me into a crisp."

"Kol, I know. We understand what we did to you was selfish and–" Stefan began when he could see where this was going.

"No, no you don't understand! Because you and your little band of misfits decided killing me would solve all your problems. And what did it bring you? Death. So no, you don't understand," Kol raised his hands, "But let me show you."

Kol began to chant. Suddenly, Damon, Stefan, and Marcel's heads were pounding. They fell to the ground yelling as their minds were slammed with an invisible force. Kol contorted his hands, constricting their airways causing them to choke for air. Kol grinned as he watched them shrivel up under his magic. The thought that they could feel a fraction of the pain he felt when he died was satisfying, but it wasn't enough. With the flick of wrist, Damon and Stefan's neck snapped, their bodies' falling to the ground while Marcel's head still pounded mercilessly. Walking over to them, Kol dragged their bodies to the side of the road where his car waited and jammed them into the back seat. He strolled back to Marcel and pulled Rebekah out of his grasp as he cowered in pain.

With a smirk, he said, "Tell my brother, if he wants our sister back, he's going to have to try harder than that."

Throwing Rebekah in the car, he got into the driver's seat and fired up the engine before speeding away leaving Marcel alone at the front of the Fauline house. It was fifteen minutes later that the pounding had finally ceased and Marcel had healed enough to reach for his phone to dial Klaus' number.

"Hello?" Klaus' voice spoke on the other line.

"Yeah, Klaus," Marcel stood up brushing away the dirt on his pants, "We have a problem."

* * *

><p>Rebekah head lolled forward and pulled back up when she woke up. Drearily she studied her surroundings. There were no windows, just shelves of strange objects. The room was cold and the floor made of stone. When she tried to sit up, she realized she was tied to a chair. Trying to wiggle herself free, she tried to loosen the rope, but was unable to. She sighed frustrated.<p>

"You think that's tough, try trying to break these chains."

Rebekah looked up at the voice who had spoken and looked at him shocked. The familiar black shaggy hair and pretty blue eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Damon?"

"In the flesh."

"Wha-What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, when she saw both Salvatores chained up against a wall, "What are _we_ doing here?"

"Let's just say your brother has a sick revenge fantasy that he intends to play out for us."

"Well, how did I get out of the house?"

"We came to save you, but then we had some technical difficulties along the way, that we had to call Kol," Stefan said, "But after he freed us, he killed us and brought us here. The end."

She looked at both brothers, "Ok, but that doesn't explain why you guys are here."

Stefan spoke, "We need your brother's blood."

"Ahh," she nodded her head in understanding, "Let me guess, another werewolf bite? Who was it this time? Please tell me it was Elena."

"Actually, it's Caroline."

"Caroline," she repeated, "I haven't heard that name in so long."

"Really?" Damon look surprised, "Isn't your brother obsessed with her or something?"

"There's just a lot that's been going on around here that I don't think my brother has much time to fawn over baby vampires anymore."

"I can see that," Stefan agreed, he nodded towards her appearance, "Mind telling us what's up with the Original family being in different bodies?"

"It was mother's idea," she scoffed, "Since she failed miserably to kill all of us, she's resorted to turning us into a family of witches by making us body swap."

"Wow," Damon nodded, "Your family has daddy and mommy issues."

"Oh shut it," she spat.

"And where are your parents in all this?" Stefan asked, "Since arriving, we haven't seen either of them."

"Well, if my plan worked, mother should be a vampire by now or dead," she explained, "But as far as I know, Mikael and Finn are on the loose."

"Finn's alive too!" Damon exclaimed, "Great. Another original that we killed. You don't suppose he'll try to kill us if Kol fails to?"

"Well, if I were Kol or Finn, death would be too easy."

The brothers looked at her uneasily.

"If I were them, I'd rip your bodies' limb-from-limb, and put you back together, just so I could rip you apart myself again and again. But that's just me," she shrugged.

"Save your fantasies for you dreams," Damon cringed.

"Any ideas on how to get out of here?"

"Don't look at me," she turned from them, "I'm not in my proper body right now. If I were I could bust us out, no problem."

"Well, where is your real body now?"

"Probably still with Klaus. He better have taken good care of it," she pouted.

The older Salvatore rolled his eyes, Stefan jabbed him to be nice.

"What happened in that house? When we found you, you were tied up and dazed," Stefan asked.

"Well, I remember waking up in a strange place in a body that wasn't mine," she started, "But every time I tried to escape, the witches would drag back upstairs and lock me in that room. Everyday they'd come visit me and preform this ritual. They'd throw dolls and powders at me while singing in a circle, it was horrific."

"But why would they do that?"

She looked down at her feet, digging into the floor as she thought for a moment trying to recall what had happened to her while she was there.

Rebekah looked back up and stared blankly in the distance, "I, I don't know…"

* * *

><p>Just as Marcel walked into the compound, Klaus stormed out of his room and jumped down the balcony.<p>

"Where are they?" he seethed as he walked over to Marcel.

"I told you, I don't know," Marcel calmly explained, "I was too busy having my brain turn to jelly while he drove off with them."

Klaus began to pace back-and-forth, "I knew it. I knew Kol was conspiring against me. I gave him my trust and he betrayed me even after I gave back his stupid diamond!"

"He had us all fooled, okay? But we have to go save them before Kol kills them–"

Klaus' head shot up, "Them? Who's them?"

Marcel scratched his head, "Oh, I forgot to mention that I ran into some friends of yours from Virginia at Rousseau's this afternoon."

The hybrid squinted his eyes suspiciously, "What friends?"

Klaus didn't have friends, he merely had acquaintances, but even then those people were either loose business partners or dead. Klaus eyed him suspiciously.

"Two brothers, one with dark hair and blue eyes and the other with funny brown hair," he explained, "Their names were Damon and Stefan."

Klaus sighed as he closed eyes and rubbed his temples. Those Salvatores sure were relentless. Thirty-eight missed calls and twelve unlistened voicemails, and they still thought they could get a hold of him. He shook his head. It seemed like his past would always find a way to come back to annoy him.

"And for what purpose were they with you?"

"I told them I wouldn't bring them to you unless they helped me save Rebekah."

_Smart._ He would give him that for manipulating them into helping him find his sister. But now he's mixed in the Salvatores into his own family issues, and knowing those brothers, they have enough family problems on their own.

"Ok, look," Marcel interrupted his thoughts, "I know you're a little mad I brought your friends into family business, but I needed their help and they actually did. They're with Rebekah right now, we just need to find them."

"And where do you suppose Kol might be keeping them? I'm sure he's well-aware now that I know of his treachery, so I don't expect he'll be joining us for supper."

"I don't know," Marcel admitted, "But all it takes is a simple location spell and bingo! I have a witch just on the other side of the river that we can ask."

Klaus thought for a moment before he agreed, "Alright, let's go."

He started to head past the gate, Marcel following close behind.

"So that's it? No big, thought-out plan?" Marcel asked as they jumped into Klaus' car.

"What's there to plan?" Klaus turned on the ignition, "He's a witch, and I'm an immortal hybrid. This isn't a battle he's going to win."

Marcel smiled. _Typical Klaus._

The engine roared and they sped away. Klaus need to teach his brother a lesson, a lesson he had to remind him several times over the century. He would not tolerate his brother's misdeeds. No one messed with Klaus Mikaelson, especially not his baby sister, and got away with it. Not even if they were family. So as they drove through the John James Audubon Bridge, there was only one time on his mind.

He was going to save his sister no matter what it took.

* * *

><p>Kol walked back into the room, Damon, Stefan, and Rebekah's attention turning to him.<p>

"I see, you've woken up," he grinned as he walked over to a table, "Don't take it personally. I don't know if you've noticed, but you guys have the tendency not to shut up."

Damon glared at him as he tried to break free from the chains.

"Don't even bother trying to break those chains. They're enchanted," he motioned towards the doll hanging over their heads, "You see that pretty doll over there? That's your ticket out of here, but seeing that you're a little tied up, I don't think you'll be going anywhere today."

"What do you want for us," Stefan intervened.

"Wasn't it obvious? I'm here to avenge my death, seeing that no one else did."

He looked over at his sister, who shamefully looked away.

"We needed to find the cure."

"And how well did that work out for you, hm? Jeremy died, Elena turned off her emotions, Silas returned, and all hell broke loose," the brother's looked at him shocked, "Yeah, that's right, I saw it all. Funny thing about the Other Side, you don't have much to do, but watch the world you should be living in fall apart."

"Ok, yes, I know we were wrong to do what we did," Stefan tried to explain, "But–"

"No, Stefan, I don't believe you guys know just how wrong you were," Kol picked up a daggered metal star from his table of collectables, "But allow me to show you."

Kol flung the metal star at him, its blade digging into his abdomen. Cuts began to slice through every part of Stefan's body. Though the incisions were small, they were deep, allowing blood to ooze out of them and bleed onto his shirt. As the cuts moved up his neck, a spray of blood escaped his lips. Damon looked at his brother horrified.

"What the hell did you do to him?" he furiously yelled at Kol.

"I call it the Devil's Star," Kol smiled, pleased with his work, "A dark object I had one of my witches make for me. You see, when I turned into a vampire, I lost my ability to practice magic. So instead, I use magical weapons, to use magic. It's quite wonderful, really."

He walked over to Stefan's body, and pulled out the star, twirling it in his hands.

"A thousand cuts all in one," he marveled, "It won't kill him, but it will hurt."

Kol walked back to his table and fiddled with more of his dark toys until he picked up an old looking syringe made of metal with a strange cloudy liquid inside.

"Now this," he lifted it up so Damon could get a good look at it, "This one I haven't thought up a name for yet, maybe you can help me."

As he walked to him, Damon spat, "Go to hell."

Kol plunged the needle into his side and released the toxin.

"If I remember correctly, the toxin will travel through your veins and turn everything to water, drowning your body with just as much water as the sea."

Damon began to profusely sweat, it felt like his insides were exploding. He choked out water, gallons of it spewing every time he coughed. His lungs were being continually clogged with water, making it hard for him to breathe. And even as he tried to gasp for air, his throat choked out more water.

"Kol, stop it!" Rebekah screamed.

Kol whipped around and snarled at her, "Don't think for one moment I've forgotten about you sister!"

"Why are you doing this, Kol?"

"THEY KILLED ME, REBEKAH! THEY KILLED ME!" he yelled, "AND NONE OF YOU DID ANYTHING TO STOP THEM!"

Rebekah looked at him stunned.

"Tell me," he rushed forward to her, "When I died did you mourn for me, hm? Did you avenge my death? Did you do anything at all?"

He shook his head when she didn't reply.

"That's right, you did _nothing_. Absolutely _nothing_. You let them throw my burned up body into a grave without a coffin and not even a grave stone to mark my death. You call yourself my sister, but you let these buffoons kill me, your own brother."

"Kol, I'm so–" she tried to apologize, but she then started to feel woozy.

Kol turned his back from her, "Save your breath."

"No, Kol–"

It felt like something was trying to overcome her consciousness, pushing at her mind. What was going on? Her eyes rolled back and her body twitched, Kol turned back to look at her confused.

"Rebekah?"

Her cloudy eyes met his. She easily snapped the ropes that held her and stood up, Kol stepped back running into his table. Fumbling, he grabbed a pair of shackles, ready to latch them onto her. But she fearlessly walked towards him and when she was only a foot away she touched his cheek with her hand.

"**I am not Rebekah Mikaelson**."

Her voice was different. Deeper and more ancient. Her voice conveyed centuries of knowledge and experience. Kol looked at her frightened.

"Wha, then who are you?" he asked as she pulled her hand away.

She smiled knowingly, "**You'll find out soon enough**."

She outstretched her arms and curled her fingers, and with the flick of her wrists the room was blinded with a gust of light. The shelves fell, their contents tumbling to the ground. Kol's body was thrown across the room, knocking him out. Everything twisted in a hectic fury, the doll that trapped the brothers was ripped from the ceiling and thrown into the whirlwind of light. Damon unhinged himself from his chains and freed Stefan, wrapping one arm under his brother.

"Come on, Stefan, we've got to get out of here!" he screamed over the swirling winds.

Stefan nodded, "Where's Rebekah? We can't leave without her!"

Blindly searching through the spinning room, they found her lying motionless on the floor. Maneuvering through the flying debris, they struggled to make their way to her. Leaning over, Damon grabbed her arm. He then slung her over his shoulder and they stumbled out the door. When they reached outside, they rolled out, laying on the ground with heavy breaths. Damon's throat still ached from all the water. He looked at his brother, all his cuts had healed, but his blood still stained his shirt. They sat up.

"What the hell just happened?" Damon shook his head.

"I don't know," Stefan patted his back, "But somehow we got out."

Damon laughed, "We are some lucky bastards, you and I."

Stefan smiled.

_**RRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!**_

It took a moment for them to register that Stefan's phone was ringing. Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out his phone.

"It's from Elena."

"What are you waiting for? Answer it!"

He pulled the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Stefan," said Elena's voice.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I have good news!"

"Alright, what is it?"

"So today Sheriff Forbes stopped by the dorm room to check on Caroline, and it turns out she had Klaus' address the whole time!"

"Wait, what!" Damon exclaimed, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"How is that even possible?"

"It doesn't matter. Do you want the address or not?"

He relented, "Fine, what is it?"

Elena read the address aloud to him from the paper Liz had given her as Damon typed it into his phone.

"Alight, thanks. If this really is Klaus' address, we should be back at Mystic Falls by nightfall."

"Sounds good, see you guys soon."

He hung up his phone and stuffed it in his pocket.

"See, we didn't need Marcel to find Klaus, and now we went through all this trouble for nothing. We could've just sat at the bar for three hours and drank booze, but _noooooo_, we had to do everything we could to find him," Damon whined.

"Shut up. Just grab Rebekah and let's get out of here."

He lifted her up and they began to walk out of what looked like a cemetery. Stone structures surrounded the area, an endless maze of walls and gravestones as they walked on the brick road. Damon joked to 'follow the grey-brick road' which made no sense, since it went in every direction. When they finally reached a gate, they saw a black SUV pull up and park at the entrance. Marcel jumped out of the car and ran towards them.

"What the hell happened to you guys?"

"Shit happened," Damon bluntly remarked.

"And what of Kol?"

"We have no idea," Stefan replied, "It was kind of…crazy in there."

They heard the shut of a car door coming from the SUV, a tall figure stepping away from the other side of the car emerged. A familiar blonde man walked towards them, terror and superiority exuded from his smug grin. Damon rolled his eyes at the original.

"Well, if it isn't the devil himself," he muttered.

"Well, it's about damn time," Stefan said.

Klaus' grin grew wider as he drew nearer to them until he joined them next to his protégé. He eyed a woman's body slung over Damon, who he assumed was Rebekah, and was pleased.

"Now is that how you speak to your _friend_?" he smirked, "I hear you boys need my help."

Stefan and Damon exchanged looks, before turning back to him.

"We can discuss things at my home, and judging by your appearance, I assume you'd like some clean clothes."

They nodded.

"Come," he motioned them to his car, "We have much to discuss."

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for the lack of Klaroline in this chapter, there was just a lot of shit I needed to cover since this chapter lines up with Chapter 4 in MF when Elena finally gets the address. So going off that, you can expect next chapter to line up with Chapter 5 when it is assumed Stefan and Damon leave with out Klaus. You'll see why our favorite original hybrid couldn'twouldn't come with the Salvatores to see Caroline. **

**New promo pics for both shows have been released. One of them depicting Klaus showing Camel Hope. This particular photo annoyed me because I didn't understand what purpose did Camille have with seeing Hope. Last time I checked, Klaus killed his own father because he had an inkling that Hope was alive, and yet he's allowing Camille to see her? She's the weakest link (and most useless character) in the group, she can be easily compelled and she's a liability. If Klaus cares so much about Hope, he never would've revealed that she was still alive...**

**Ok, rant time. For those of you who don't know, the TCAs 2015 were last week and there was a joint panel of TO and TVD with Ian Somerhalder, Joseph Morgan, Julie Plague, Caroline Dries, and Michael Narducci. Before that, a bunch of interviewers who were attending asked viewers to tweet questions they wanted to be answered, and of course, the Klaroline fandom sent in tons of questions asking about any crossovers, whether or not Klaus still loved Caroline, and so on. Shortly after, one of the interviewers tweeted that according to the panel, there would be no Klaroline this season. Everyone in the Klaroline fandom was devastated by the news, including me. You know, it was a little disheartening... But then the interviewer deleted their post for some reason? So we won't be sure of the fate of our fandom until the interviews come out on Monday, so cross your fingers (but don't get your hopes too high, JP & Co have a funny way of ruining people's hopes and dreams). **

**So that's kind of why writing this fanfic has been a little tough, I didn't touch this chapter for like 2-3 days because I just couldn't find the motivation to write it. Usually I try to write parts of it everyday before work or after class. Really, just whenever I have time. But I just pushed this one off to the side. But its okay now, after the "Three Years of Klaroline" trend on twitter and getting amazing reviews from you guys, I'm back at it! I mean, this fandom has gone through so much already and we've gotten tons of bad news, and yet we're still here. We still slay polls and dominate twitter trends. We have picture manips, fan videos, and blogs, and a fucking magazine dedicated to our favorite couple. And out of the thousands of Klaroline fanfics there are, you've chosen to read mine. And for that, I am forever grateful. **

**Going through your guys' comments and actually talking to some of you, really does make my day (especially in these tough times). Though I wasn't here from the start, I am now and I'm never leaving this fandom because I love you guys so much. **

**So on that note... No, I have not given up on this story and no, I have not given up on Klaroline. I don't think its possible. I revived my hope (not the baby) after watching Klaroline videos on youtube and rewatching the graduation episode about a million times. As much as I wish they were together now, I will wait. I'm still deeply upset by how OOC they are right now and the stupid SLs the writers are shoving down their throats, but I'll cringe through and wait. For now, we can all suffer together. All shoved tight as the elephants in the writer's room. They can't ignore us forever, but they can try as their ratings plummet. So while we wait for the inevitable, enjoy my fanfic. I'll show you what I think an "organic" crossover should be like. I'll give you Klaroline when the writers won't. **

**Alright, enough rambling. BE FREE.**

**This week's question is:**

Why do you think Klaus didn't come back to Mystic Falls to save Caroline?

**As always READ. REVIEW. SHARE.**

**P.S. I finally got my Klaroline phone case in the mail, you can find a picture on my tumblr or twitter.**

**P.S.S. On Friday, January 23rd we have a trend on twitter for "A Year Without Klaroline" marking a year since Klaus and Caroline's last scene together. Come join us!**


	10. Chapter 10 However Long It Takes

**HEY KLAROPHANTS.**

**Wow. Yeah. I know it's been two weeks, and I am sincerely sorry. I've just been hella busy with school and work. It's just been kind of crazy in my life. I've literally been trying to find time to write this chapter in between my classes and before I go to bed. Like I'll write tiny sections at a time. It's ridiculous. I mean, these past two weeks I've just been trying to write this 10-page play for my Dramatic Writing class and a 5-minute play for my drama class. I guess that's what happens when you sign up for a lot of writing classes, but don't get me wrong, I do love to write and it's kind of fun. I just wish I had more time...Anyways so I'm back to update, but I must warn you, my next update probably won't be for another two weeks either considering I have to add another 20-pages to that play and write an 8-page paper for my english 102 class (yay). But I swear, I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS STORY. It's not done yet, there's still so much shit to cover and Klaus and Caroline haven't even reunited yet? Like no. I won't abandon you guys. **

**Anyways, this chapter aligns with Chapter 6 when Caroline gets the cure. Just an FYI. **

**Enough yammering.. Have at it. **

**DICLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: However Long It Takes<strong>

Klaus carried his sister up the stairs to her bedroom, careful not to stir her from her slumber. As he entered her room, he took a glimpse around. Even after she had gone to live the life she wanted, he had kept her room exactly the way she had left it. The bed still had the same intricately designed mauve covers with the matching pillow set, the walls were still covered with framed paintings, the curtains still sat partially open so the last light of day could seep through the windows, and her unworn clothes still slung over a chair across from her dresser. He had feared if he had altered the room in any way, it would lose her presence, something he'd grown so accustomed to throughout the years.

Setting her down on the bed, he lifted the covers and gently wrapped them around her so that they rested under her chin. He sighed.

For centuries they've been together. Fighting their way against the odds, steering far from danger, and having each other's backs. What was the phrase again? _Always and forever_. And for as long as he could remember, after every tiring battle they survived and after every long journey they endured, Klaus would always find himself tucking his little sister to sleep.

It was something simple, really. When they were younger, they would sleep in the same room together. Some nights, the weather would be mercilessly banging at their door making little Rebekah desperately try to block out the thunderous roars of the storms underneath the refuge of her blankets. He remembered always coming to her side when she cried, calmly rubbing her shoulder until she finally came to rest, or how sometimes she wouldn't allow him to leave until she fell asleep, so he'd have sit by her side while she held his hand.

He looked down at the unfamiliar face that now rested in her place. He couldn't recognize the messy curls, nor the dark skin. But surely enough, Rebekah was in there, somewhere, trapped in this body. His little sister all worn out from a long day. He left the room, slowly closing the door. He paused with his hand still on the door knob before letting go and going downstairs to the commotion that awaited him.

As he rejoined Damon, Stefan, and Marcel in the compound, he watched them argue. Damon and Marcel were at each other's throats while Stefan was the mediator.

"You told us that after we retrieved Rebekah, we could see Klaus," Damon snapped, "And now that we're here, I think that it's only fair that we get to ask him for what we need!"

"There are more important things we need to deal with right now, your request can wait," Marcel retorted.

Damon growled.

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here!" Marcel continued.

"HAH, last time I checked, we didn't need your lousy help to find him," the dark-haired Salvatore snarled.

"Yeah, but you're going to need all the help you can get to keep me from killing you."

Marcel rushed forward, but Stefan immediately stepped in, resting an arm firmly on his chest, keeping them from tearing each other's heads off.

"Stop it, guys. You're being ridiculous," he said.  
>The two looked at each other in disgust, still tempted to kill each other. Klaus broke the silence with a slow clap.<p>

"Brava."

The three of them looked at Klaus sitting in his chair.

"Now, if the three of you are through with acting like buffoons," he motioned his arms to the empty seats at the elegant table, "Why don't we talk like civilized men, hm?"

Damon grunted as he walked away, taking a seat on one side of Klaus, while Marcel took the other, leaving Stefan to sit in front of him. Klaus was pleased that the three didn't question his authority, giving him so much pleasure that they were vying for his attention, leaving a smug grin on his face.

"Alright, so why don't we start off with what the bloody hell happened in the Fauline House?"

"Well, like I said to you earlier," Marcel started, "I told them I wouldn't bring them to you unless they helped me get Rebekah."

Damon glared at him from across the table, but he continued, "So we went in to find her, and I called Davina to come so she could lift the spell to bring Rebekah out."

Stefan jumped in, "But just as we were about to leave, we were attacked by a group of witches that were holding Rebekah captive, and even after we killed them all, we were still unable to escape."

"That's because only a descendant of the witch that placed the curse, can lift the spell," Klaus explained, "and seeing that one of the witches locked in there was a Claire witch, it makes sense why Davina was unable to lift the spell."

"Wait-what?" Marcel looked at him surprised, "One of the witches was an ancestor of Davina's. Why wasn't I told this?"

"I didn't think it was necessary, you wouldn't have known Davina until decades later anyways," Klaus replied bluntly.

If he had known that bit of information, Marcel never would've asked her to come. He never would've put her in danger. She could've been trapped in that house forever, or even worse, dead. Marcel turned away, feeling slightly betrayed, but Klaus didn't seem to notice (or more like, didn't care).

"And what of Rebekah, do we know what they did to her?"

"We're not sure," Stefan answered, "When we found her, she was in a daze and was unable to answer. But when we asked her while we were being held hostage, she didn't seem to remember anything."

Klaus studied the Salvatore.

This worried him, without any knowledge of what occurred during that week Rebekah was away, he couldn't determine her current health. After all the witchy hexes that've been cursed on his family and Elijah still suffering the aftermath of his mother's magic, one could never be too weary. He needed to know what the witches had done to his sister in order to protect her.

"And one more thing," Stefan reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crinkled map, "I found this while we were searching the house for her."

Klaus took the map and carefully opened its flaps to discern what the brown-haired Salvatore had found. It was a map of Louisiana, though a little outdated, it still held the major locations of the state. But that wasn't the first thing he noticed, in equally spaced marks, there were three locations dotted with red sharpie. Klaus looked back at Stefan, fearing the worst.

"There are three locations marked on that map," Stefan said returning his glance.

Damon saw where this was going, "You don't suppose its–"

"An expression triangle," Stefan finished. Marcel looked between them confused.

"What's an expression triangle?" he asked.

"It's an ancient ritual that can only be done with three sacrifices, so that a witch who practices expression magic can channel an immense amount of power," Klaus explained.

Stefan started to count on his fingers.

Damon looked at him, "Stefan, what's wrong?"

"I'm just trying to remember how many of those witches we killed back at the house."

Damon's eyes grew wide, "Oh please, God, please tell me you didn't kill twelve witches!"

"Wait, what's wrong if we killed twelve witches?" Marcel pushed.

Klaus sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Each sacrifice requires twelve victims. Twelve 'beasts', twelve humans, and twelve witches."

Stefan rested his elbows on the table as he ran his hands frustratingly through his hair.

"So how many was it?"

"I don't know," he muttered, "It could've been eleven or thirteen, but I'm just going to assume it was probably twelve."

"Meaning?"

"One sacrifice has been completed," Klaus stated.

"Who the hell would've known we would be there to kill twelve witches?" Damon asked irritably.

"I don't know," the hybrid admitted, "But it seems like someone's trying to get a hold of a lot of magic."

"But why?" Stefan set his hands down, "Why would someone need all that magic? Bonnie only needed it so she could drop the veil for Silas, but there is no veil anymore. The Other Side is completely gone!"

"Maybe it was Esther," Marcel offered, "It makes sense, she was trying to turn you all into witches."

"No, that can't be it. She would never allow the killing of her own kind," Klaus replied.

"What about that Davina, chick? It didn't look like she minded killing off a couple witches back at the house," Damon added.

"No," Marcel quickly said, Damon raised his hands defensively, "It's not Davina. She doesn't even know what expression magic is! It's probably Finn."

"Maybe," Klaus pondered, "It might be Finn, but we're not completely sure. As of now, we have to assume that any and every witch in New Orleans is trying to complete an expression triangle."

"So what do we do?" Stefan stepped in, "Just let them carry out all the sacrifices."

"No, but we've got the map," Klaus held it up, "We know where the remaining two sacrifices will occur, so if they're sticking with this plan, we can easily stop them. We just have to make sure no one gets killed in these specific locations."

Damon looked at Stefan, then back at Klaus.

"We? There is no 'we'. _We_," he motioned to him and his brother, "need to go back to Mystic Falls."

"Oh, so you rather have an all-powerful witch on the loose while you return back to your precious Elena," Klaus angrily snapped at him.

Damon snarled.

"No, someone's waiting for us to return," Stefan paused for a moment, and then continued, "And they need your blood."

Klaus laughed. Of course, of course that's what they needed. That's what they_ always _needed. His blood. His blood was the cure, the most prized possession, the Holy Grail of all elixirs on earth.

"So that's it," he laughed, "You travelled all the way from Mystic Falls just for my blood. Well, don't leave me hanging, who is it this time?"

Neither of them answered.

"Seeing that Damon's present, I presume it's not him. What was it? Two times you needed my blood," he mocked, "I'm going to make a wild guess it was Elena, I mean, why else would the two Salvatore brothers come knocking at my door begging for my blood if not for their beloved doppelganger?"

The older Salvatore was seething by now.

"IT'S FOR CAROLINE, DAMN IT!"

The room grew silent, not one making a sound.

Klaus stared at the two Salvatores mixed with astonishment and fear.

"What did you say…?"

Stefan let out a breath, "We need your blood for Caroline."

A rage began to grow in Klaus. He tried to contain his anger as he spoke in a low voice, "Who did it."

Stefan hesitantly answered, "There was this pack of wolves–"

"Where."

"Four hours away from New Orleans, in the bayou."

"What were you doing there?"

"We were hunting," Stefan began, "We were running low on blood bags from our journey, so we decided to hunt."

A pang of jealousy hit Klaus. He always imagined that he'd be the one to show her the world the moment she stepped outside of Mystic Falls, so it irritated him that her first big adventure was with the Salvatore.

"And where were you two planning to go on this little journey."

"We were coming to see you."

Klaus' eyebrows scrunched together confused.

"So you needed something else before my blood."

Stefan nodded, "We needed you to come back with us."

"Why?" he asked, "I would think you'd be happy I had left. No more terrorizing poor Mystic Falls."

"We needed you to compel Elena's memories back," Damon finally said.

Klaus looked at him confused.

"Look, the Other Side collapsed and a bunch of us died to get rid of the Traveler's," Damon started, "But a lot of us came back to life before the Other Side collapsed. Me, I wasn't so lucky. I got stuck in some retro-hell with Bonnie for four months and during that time Elena asked Alaric to compel her memories of me away."

Klaus still stared at the older Salvatore questionably. There was so much information being thrown at him, that he had to take a moment to comprehend everything Damon was telling him.

"But I came back to life only to find out that my girlfriend erased all her memories of me just so she could move on, and the rest is history."

There were so many questions that racked at Klaus' mind like where did everyone else in the Other Side end up, and how did Damon escape, and how did Alaric come back to life? There were so many unanswered questions, but none of them mattered as much as this one.

"What pack attacked you," he turned to Stefan with a serious tone.

"I don't know."

"Where _exactly_ were you in the bayou when you were attacked."

"Just alongside the wetlands."

Klaus looked back at the map that was in his hands, searching for the location that Stefan had described. His eyes skimmed through the many streets and names that flooded the map, until he finally came to the bayou. Small lakes littered the area, but it mattered not. He'd be able to catch her scent easily.

"Why?" Stefan cautiously asked, "Why do you need to know?"

He glanced back at Stefan, the face of murder painted all over his face.

"I'm going to kill them, I'm going to kill them all."

* * *

><p>It was just an hour before sunset, the sky was glowing gold through the window panes. Elijah sat in the living room, holding on to baby Hope. He laughed as Hope poked at his scruff, trying to grasp his chin. Pulling her away, he propped Hope on his knees, resting her tiny bare feet on his kneecaps as he held her under her arms. Hope flailed her arms around as if trying to find balance, but Elijah held her still. Hope giggled making Elijah smile.<p>

He couldn't quite explain it. The overwhelming feeling to protect her, to hold her close, and make sure no monster would hurt her. But how could he protect her when he, himself, was one of those monsters?

His hands began to be unsteady, shaky under his grip. He set Hope down next to him on the couch, and stared down at his hands.

These hands had caused so much bloodshed, had taken the life of many over the centuries. These hands ripped, and tore, and slashed, and cut through many lives. All that death was on his hands, and no amount of honor and righteous deeds could wash away his sins.

He began to rub his hands, pressing his thumbs deep into the skin. He pressed harder and harder, feeling the bone beneath. These were the hands of a monster, because he was a monster.

Then he felt someone place their hand on his.

_He glanced down at the hand that rested on his as it slowly caressed him. The smooth hands brushed against him, pulling their tight grip apart, interlacing their fingers between. _

"_You're not a monster, Elijah."_

_He looked up to see the curly tresses of a brunette, with golden skin, and deep brown eyes stare up at him. He could never forget the soft smile that blessed her lips, nor the soothing tone of her sweet voice. _

"Katerina," he said breathlessly.

_She smiled. _

_Elijah pulled his hand away from hers and gently touched her cheek, feeling the smoothness of her perfect skin. _

"Is this real?" he hesitantly asked.

_She rested her hand on his, pressing his hand against her cheek as she closed her eyes and hummed. _

"_I wish it was," she replied. _

_He looked at her sadly. He hadn't seen her since he had left for New Orleans, hadn't heard anything about her whereabouts since leaving Mystic Falls. Though he had vowed to part ways from her, he never meant to cut all ties. _

_She turned her face and lightly kissed his palm. He stiffened at her gentleness. _

"Katerina," he started, "These hands, they're-"

_She ignored him and continued to leave kisses on his hand as she whispered, "These are not the hands of a monster, Elijah."_

_ He shuddered as she kissed down to his wrist. Taking his other hand, he held her face, pulling her closer to him. He brushed her hair aside, staring deep into her brown eyes sadly. _

"Elijah?"

Elijah broke from his trance and looked up to see Hayley standing up in front of him.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

He looked back at his hands to see no one holding them, and then back at Hayley, "Uh, yes."

She looked at him quizzically for a moment, then said, "Alright. Well, I was just going to say that I'm going to go out and go for a walk. I'm really not digging this whole being 'cooped-up-in-a-house-till-its-safe' thing. So I was wondering if you could watch over Hope a little longer."

He glanced down at Hope who was tugging at his neatly tucked blouse.

He smiled, "Of course."

"Alright, I won't be far," she said as she turned and headed towards the door, "I'll be back in a few!"

He could hear the lock on the door unlatch, and the door hinges creak as it opened. Suddenly there was a scream. Rushing over to her, Hayley dug her face into his chest. She pulled at his blouse, desperately trying to cover her face.

"THE BABY, ELIJAH, THE BABY!" she screamed.

Elijah immediately looked back at Hope to see if she was in danger, but the baby just mindlessly chewed on the couch cushions.

"I don't understand, Hayley. Hope is fine."

"NO, THE BABY, THE BABY! THE BABY, IT'S DEAD! THE BABY'S DEAD!" without pulling her face away from his chest, she pointed down at the shoe box that sat at the foot of the porch.

Prying her off, Hayley turned away and covered her eyes as Elijah knelt down to the shoe box. Lifting up the cover, he saw the baby. It's skin was sickly grey, dark veins protruding from its flesh, its body frozen in a twisted stance. Dried up black liquid oozed from its open mouth. A single note sat on its chest. Picking up the note, he opened the nicely folded paper. Elegant calligraphy stained the page as it read:

_I know about the baby._

_Give me mother, or the same fate will come to the child._

_Meet me at the Lafayette Cemetery. _

_You have until tomorrow night._

–_**Finn**_

He crumpled the note in his hand, angrily kicking the lid over the baby's corpse. Pulling out his phone, he furiously dialed Klaus' number. He'd want to know about this.

* * *

><p>Everything was dark when Rebekah woke up, the dim light from the moon shined from above as the shadows towered over her. She stood in a forest. Pine trees loomed over her, while the moist bark pressed under her body. Woozily she sat up and studied the surrounding area, propping herself up on her elbows. <em>Where was she?<em>

Pulling herself up, she dusted away the dirt on her clothes, then paused. She looked down at her hands astonished. She could see her pale skin peaking from under her sleeves. She tugged at her blonde hair and groped at her face. She was in her own body. _But how?_

"_**Rebekah Mikaelson**_," a voice called.

Jumping in surprise, she backed up against a tree and looked to her side. A strange lady stood before her garbed in a blue robe. She had dark black wavy hair pulled back with a pin, high cheekbones, and dark eyes that bore into her. She had a serious face, her lips in a thin line.

"How do you know who I am?" Rebekah asked hesitantly.

The woman took a step towards her, but Rebekah pressed her back against a tree. The woman smiled.

"I've been watching over you for centuries."

Rebekah stared at her puzzled.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the lady took another step forward, "My name is Dahlia, I am your aunt."

* * *

><p>Klaus angrily hung up the phone, seething as he glared at the screen. Elijah had just informed him of the threat Finn had sent them. Damon, Stefan, and Marcel looked at him in understanding. They had eavesdropped on the conversation.<p>

"So what's the plan?" Marcel asked.

What was the plan? Rebekah had yet to awaken from her slumber, and he wanted to be there when she did. He still had to find shelter and protection for Jackson's wolves to prepare for the wedding. And now that Hope's location has been compromised, Elijah, Hayley, and Hope were no longer safe in Arkansas. They had to return immediately, while Klaus dealt with Finn. Not to mention Kol was still on the loose and needed to be punished with for his betrayal. But on top of that there was still the issue that Damon and Stefan needed his blood to save Caroline. But could he really set aside one day to travel back to Mystic Falls to save her life when his was falling apart?

Klaus abruptly got up from his seat, their eyes following him.

"I need to think," he bluntly said.

Klaus exited the room and headed upstairs to his study where he stood in front of the fireplace thinking. He had to stay in New Orleans, he knew he had to. He had to worry about Rebekah, and Elijah, and Hope, and Finn, and the wolves, and Kol, and Mikael, and whoever the hell was trying to complete an expression triangle. There were just so many things that were tying him down to New Orleans. So many things he needed to figure out. That's what he needed to do. He needed to make a plan. He was Klaus Mikaelson, the master of plans. He always had a backup plan from B to Z. But this time, he was caught off guard. Somehow amidst all the possible scenarios that could've went down, he never thought this would happen: Caroline getting bitten.

Of course he knew when he left her, he wouldn't be able to protect her anymore. He knew she'd probably face more danger even after he left. But even so, he knew Caroline was perfectly capable of fending for herself. She was strong, and brave, and smart. She didn't need his help, she was fully capable of doing whatever she wished, something that Klaus had always loved about her. But if there was one thing that could inhibit the feisty blonde vampire, it was werewolf venom, something that had come to haunt her on several occasions.

He cringed at the thought of her last encounter with the poisonous venom. He had bitten her out of anger. Her friends had just murdered his brother and had trapped him in the living room of Elena's house. It angered him to watch Tyler smugly grin at him as he was left helpless, and to see Caroline side with him only fed his fury. So he bit her. He bit her to prove a point, that he was stronger and he'd always be stronger. He was the original hybrid after all, the strongest being on the planet, and no one could take him down. So as Caroline lay helplessly before him in her weakened state, he was almost convinced that he could just let her die. So as he tried to block out her heavy, uneven breaths, and her dying stare, he could feel her life slipping away has time pressed on.

"_I know that you're in love with me…"_

Those words had caught him off guard, but he made no effort to deny it. Was it true? Was Klaus Mikaelson in love? Impossible. For years he avoided it, he knew what came with love. Heartbreak, pain, and weakness, and Klaus Mikaelson was not weak.

"_And anybody capable of love, is capable of being saved…"_

As much as he didn't want to admit it, those words hit him. They hit him like the waves that crash onto the sand, like a nail being pounded by a hammer. He knew what those words meant, what they meant to him because while everyone else was busy trying to find his redemption, trying to find his salvation, none of them ever thought to think that maybe, just maybe, he already had some good in him. That maybe centuries of running, of being afraid, and of feeling weak made him become the person he was today, the murderous hybrid. But what if there was good still in him? What if it was just deep down under all his selfishness, greed, and pride? What if for years it had been buried under his pain and suffering? What if he was just waiting for someone, anyone to stop seeing him as the villainous sociopath sent to wreak havoc? But what if he was just waiting for someone to see that the good was already there?

And as he sat there watching her die, watching her take her last breaths, he felt a fear grow within him when she didn't respond. His heart stopped. He knew he had to make a choice.

And it was in that moment he knew he was, in fact, in love with Caroline Forbes.

She had bested him. She had proved him wrong. His love for her was too strong, stronger than his desire to hurt Tyler. For years he had lived without knowing her, and yet now he couldn't picture another day without her.

So as he stood before the fire place, watching the flames of his worries burn in his mind, he thought. He thought deeply and intensely. He had to make a plan. He had to make a plan now before his light faded away.

* * *

><p>Rebekah was in shock as she stared back at the woman that called herself, Dahlia.<p>

She stuttered, "Y-You're my–"

"Aunt," Dahlia finished, "I am your mother's older sister."

She didn't know what to think, her mother had never talked about her older sister, hell, she didn't even know her mother had an older sister.

Rebekah struggled to find her words, "Why… What… Where am I?"

Dahlia smiled her mysterious smile, "You are dreaming, Rebekah."

"Okay, but why am I here? Why are you in my dream?"

"Because I am a part of you."

Rebekah looked at her horrified, "What do you mean?"

"I had my witches resurrect my essence into your host body."

"So you're possessing me? Why?"

"Because I need you to do something for me."

"And if I choose not to comply."

Dahlia chuckled, "You don't have a choice, Rebekah. I'm possessing your body."

"Then what's the point of asking me?" Rebekah yelled, "If you're just going to possess my body, then why bother asking?"

"Because I'm here to offer you a deal."

Rebekah cautiously looked back at her, uncertain whether to advance. She didn't know what to think. She couldn't trust Dahlia. But she was also curious.

She took a step forward, "What kind of deal?"

* * *

><p>He remembered receiving a letter in the mail. It was rather peculiar seeing that he trusted no one with his address. So when Elijah came into his room carrying an envelope, he immediately started thinking of all the possible scenarios of why he might have received a letter. Could it be another message regarding those conspiring against him, maybe it's from Marcel, or a death threat? Yes, a death threat was more probable.<p>

As Elijah carefully handed him the folded letter, Klaus read the inscribed words in ink. In girly handwriting, his name was written on the left corner with his address and at the very bottom left was a name that never failed to make him smile: _Caroline Forbes_.

Elijah looked at him questionably noticing the small smile on his lips, but Klaus immediately returned back to his serious face.

"Thank you, Elijah."

Elijah still watched him carefully even as Klaus turned from him and proceeded to open the letter. He didn't know who the letter was from, just that it was sent from Mystic Falls. He began to walk away as Klaus pulled out the slip of paper. It was only when Elijah had slipped out the door and into the hallway that Klaus began to read the note.

It was a graduation announcement. The thick paper was white and red, with gold lining the border and a timber wolf on the side. Big words headed the top with "You are invited!" It included the date, location, and time of the graduation. And at the very bottom under her signature was a small note, hand-written saying:

_Just an FYI, I got your address from your sister when I came to drop off the dress. You better get me an expensive graduation gift haha_

He chuckled as he tucked the invitation away.

After all the chaos that was going on in New Orleans, a short break to visit Caroline didn't seem so bad. So the decision was simple, he would leave his worries away for one day just to see her and he'd deal with them later. It's not like they were going anywhere anyways.

So on the day he departed to leave, he set his problems aside and boarded a plane to Mystic Falls, Virginia. His brother didn't question his sudden need to leave. So as he boarded the plane, he turned off his cellphone and for two hours he anticipated his arrival. Nervously fiddling with his fingers, he stared out the plane window wondering what he'd say, what he'd do. Should he tell her about his soon-to-be child or the predicament he's been dragged into? Should he tell her why he had left so suddenly, why he never got the chance to say good-bye? These were the questions that bombarded his heavy mind. But as he reached into his coat pocket, he pulled out two plane tickets for New Orleans and stroked its edges with his fingers. It was his graduation gift to her.

He wanted her to come back with him.

It had only been a short period of time since he had left the small town, but every day without her felt like an eternity. Not being able to see her bright smile shining back at him, not being able to hear the ring of her voice echo in his ear, not being able to bicker and banter and argue and fight was almost unbearable. He had grown so accustomed to knowing that she was always nearby, only a couple blocks away that a thousand miles seemed to eat at him on a daily basis. And with all the turmoil going on in his life, he could use a little light.

So as he exited the plane, suit and tie, he grabbed a taxi cab and headed down to her high school. The plane had arrived a few minutes late and he got stuck in traffic, so as he sat in the car he turned on his phone. He had received several voicemails from Caroline. Pressing the button, he lifted the phone up to his ear.

"_First unheard message…_Klaus you have to get here now, Damon needs your blood because he got shot with werewolf laced bullets, so call me when you get here!"

He pressed the next button.

"_Message skipped, next unheard message_…Hello? Klaus? Answer your phone! We really need you here, like, now. Call me back as soon as possible!"

Next message.

"_Message skipped, next unheard message_…Seriously, Klaus! Answer your damn phone! Damon's going to die and it's going to be your fault! … Not that you care… but I do. So get over here now!"

Next message.

"_Message skipped, next unheard message_…If you're not here in twenty-minutes, I swear, I'm going to go to New Orleans myself and drag your ass down here. So hurry up, Klaus."

Next message.

"_Message skipped, last unheard message…_Klaus, now is not the time to decide that you are over me. I'm gonna call you every ten minutes until you get your ass here to save Damon's life."

He laughed to himself after listening to every message. He didn't bother to delete them because he knew he'd probably want to listen to them again later. He looked down at his watch. Three o'clock. The graduation should be starting now and yet he was still on his way there. Grabbing the shoulder of the driver, he looked into his eyes and compelled him.

"Drive as fast as you can, mate, I have a girl waiting for me."

The driver nodded and turned his attention back to the road. Shifting gears, he slammed his foot on the gas pedal, the car zooming off down the road.

* * *

><p>Klaus rejoined the three vampires, walking briskly down the stairs to where they sat on the table. They all stood up when he arrived, awaiting his response.<p>

"So what's it going to be?" Stefan asked.

Klaus tossed him a glass vial. Lifting it up, Stefan saw it contained his blood.

"There, you have my blood. That should be enough to save her, now leave."

"Wha-," Damon looked down at the vial, then back at Klaus, "You're not coming with us?"

Klaus frowned at him, "No, I am not. I have more pressing matters here."

"I don't understand," Stefan stared at him baffled.

"I've given you my blood, that's what you came for right? And now you have all you need. Consider it a parting gift for helping me find my sister. Now please see yourself to the door."

Damon stepped forward.

"Damon," Stefan tried to stop him.

Damon swatted him away, "No, I did not travel all this way just so he can hand us a measly bottle of his blood. You need to come back with us to Mystic Falls to compel Elena's memories back."

"I cannot do that."

He threw his arms in the air, "And why not!? It's just for one day, it'll literally only take a few seconds to compe–"

"I said no," Klaus declared, "I am not leaving with you."

The Salvatores looked at him shocked.

In a low voice, he said, "So I suggest you leave the premises before I change my mind."

The two brothers looked at each other, while Klaus kept a cold-hard stare, until they finally nodded.

"Fine."

They began to exit the compound, leaving only Marcel and Klaus left. As the metal clank of the gate shut and their footsteps disappeared into the noisy streets, Marcel walked up to Klaus.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

At first Klaus didn't answer. He stood in silence staring blankly at the floor, before turning back to Marcel.

"Like I said," his cold stare meeting Marcel, "I have more pressing matters right now."

Marcel nodded acknowledging that Klaus didn't want to further elaborate on his explanation. Taking a seat back at the table, he sighed.

"Alright," he thrummed his fingers on the table, "So what's the plan?"

* * *

><p>The sound of cheers filled the air, applause clapping in the wind. The sun shined brightly down on the field, glints shimmering in the freshly cut grass. Klaus walked through the stands, finding an open seat amongst the crowd of people. As he scanned the ceremony, he could see the flowing red gowns of the graduates. As each name was called, he searched until he found the familiar blonde locks and bright smile that he had been looking for.<p>

_Caroline Forbes. _

He smiled as he spotted her standing at the bottom of the steps awaiting her chance to get up on stage. She smiled as she overlooked the masses of people who had gathered. Her smiled beamed even more when she spotted her mom sitting in the front of the stands in normal attire. She waved and giggled as Liz waved back.

"Matt Donavan," the mayor announced, his voice booming into the microphone.

The blue-eyed quarterback walked up the steps and shook the mayor's hand with a smile.

"William Duncan."

Klaus watched another graduate walk through the stage.

"Caroline Forbes."

Caroline confidently walked up the steps, and excitedly strode over to the mayor to receive her diploma while still flashing a smile to the crowd. Klaus thought she would've seen him by then, but she had turned her face to shake the mayor's hand before she could spot him.

Though he had never attended a graduation, or ever thought much of one, he felt proud of Caroline as she took her seat amidst her classmates. Although he believed this was just another trivial human thing that would come to pass in her memories, he could see why she wanted it so bad. Why she wanted to hold on to her humanity for a little longer.

As he sat at the stands and continued to sit through the rest of the ceremony, he continued to fidget with the plane tickets that sat in his pocket. Patiently he listened to every name get called and every person get their moment of applause while he flipped the pieces of paper between his fingers. He was growing impatient. He wanted to see her.

Suddenly, he saw Stefan, Elena, and Caroline get up from their seats heading to the back of the bleachers. A worried look was on her face. _What could be wrong?_ He then spotted a group of familiar looking people go to the other side of the bleachers, constantly looking back towards the direction Caroline and her friends had disappeared. Something wasn't right. Getting up from his seat, he hurriedly followed after them, hoping to warn Caroline.

His phone began to vibrate in his pocket as he continued to walk. Pulling it out from his pocket, he checked the caller ID. It was Caroline. Something was definitely wrong. He cancelled the call and walked faster. Over the sound of the mayor's voice still calling names, he began to hear Stefan's voice behind the stands.

"Okay, just hang on a little longer," Stefan said wearily, "Caroline's calling Klaus again."

The three of them came into view, he could see them huddled together. When suddenly the group of people he saw earlier came up from behind them extending their hands. Stefan, Elena, and Caroline immediately fell to the floor grasping their heads.

"Remember us, Caroline!" a black woman stepped forward.

It finally clicked. They were the witches that Caroline killed to save Bonnie. But weren't they dead? Klaus didn't have much time to think. He'd worry about those questions later. Yanking a graduation cap from a student he rushed to them and threw it towards the leader, beheading her.

Shocked, everyone turned to look at him.

"There are plenty more of these to go around," he fiddled with another red cap, "Who's next?"

The other witches looked at him frightened, slowly backing away.

"I can do this all day," he challenged.

The witches fled, and once they were finally free from their pain, Stefan, Elena, and Caroline stood up. He looked only at Caroline, a smile playing on his lips. She smiled back at him in gratitude, and it was something about that smile that made him feel like he was invincible.

She brushed herself off and walked over to him.

"Took you long enough," she teased.

"Well, you do know how I like to make an entrance."

She laughed at that as she pulled him into a hug. As she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, and his around her waist she said, "Thank you."

He smiled, "Of course, love."

Stefan cleared his throat, as they pulled away from each other. Caroline looked at him questionably, and then jumped when she remembered.

"Oh my gosh," she slapped Klaus' chest, "You need to go save Damon now!"

She turned to Stefan, "Do you think Alaric can bring Damon back to the mansion to meet him?"

Stefan nodded, "Yeah, I'll go ahead and tell Alaric to meet Klaus there."

"Alright," Caroline said as she looked back at Klaus, "You better get going."

Klaus nodded and left them.

* * *

><p>It wasn't till two hours later that he finally saw her again. After picking up a few things from his old house and saving the damned Salvatore, he finally got the chance to be with her alone.<p>

It was dark now, the heat of the sun diminishing under the horizon, but the moon illuminated the sky along with the twinkling stars above. He stepped away from behind the stands and saw Caroline tucking her graduation gown in a pile with the others. She wore a sundress with white and black heels. He smiled. _Beautiful as always_. He was almost satisfied with just watching her from afar and contemplated whether he should just leave without a good-bye. But he could still feel the burning desire that ate at him to go be her. His pocket felt heavy with the plane tickets that sat within them.

He wanted her to come with him. To be with him. But something stopped him. After seeing her so happy alongside her mother and friends, it didn't feel right.

This was the life she wanted. The life of spending time with her school friends, planning big events, and being with her mother. And she'd want to live this life for as long as she could. And how dare he think he could just take that all away from her, how dare he think he could just whisk her away and they'd just live happily ever after. It was selfish, it was all selfish, and he knew he was selfish. And he could do all those things, he could stay true to his role and kidnap her away to live with him and compel her to spend the rest of eternity with him. He had the power to do that, he had the power to have the one thing he wanted the most. But, he couldn't. He wouldn't. He couldn't be selfish with Caroline. Not with her, not ever. He knew if he took her freedom away, if he took her control away, he'd lose the Caroline he fell in love with. She'd cease to be the light of his life. She'd be no better than any other indiscretion he's had in the past and he didn't want that. He didn't want that for her. He loved her, and it's because he loved her, he could never put his needs before hers. If they were ever going to be together, he'd have to be patient. She still needed to grow up a little, she still needed to finish everything she wanted to do as a human. She had her life, and he had his. She was going off to college and living her dream, while he had a baby on the way and a kingdom to take over. They were going their separate ways. And though they were walking their separate paths, that wasn't to say their journeys might not one day intertwine.

Reaching into his coat pocket, he looked back down at the plane tickets. Taking one of them, he ripped it and threw it in the trash. It wasn't the right time, not yet at least.

He walked past the rows of folding chairs until he approached her from behind. She heard his footsteps as she turned to face him.

"How'd you get here so fast?" she asked in a sweet tone.

"I was already on my way," he replied as he walked towards her.

Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise as she took a step towards him.

"I received your graduation announcement," he said as he pulled the invitation out from inside his coat and looked over it again, "It was… very subtle."

Caroline closed her eyes and smiled.

"I assume you're expecting cash?" he teased.

She laughed, "That, or a mini fridge."

"Well, I had considered offering you a first-class ticket to join me in New Orleans…"

Caroline looked away from him sadly, confirming his suspicions.

"But I knew what your answer would be," he continued, "So I opted for something I knew you would accept."

Caroline looked at him questionably, waiting for his answer.

He sighed, "Tyler is now free to return to Mystic Falls."

She was silent for a moment, her face in shock and unable to formulate words. She continued to stare back at him, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"What?" she said breathlessly.

"He's your first love," he said in a soft voice, "I intend to be your last, however long it takes."

He leaned forward and left kiss on her cheek.

When he pulled back, only inches away from her face, he said, "Congratulations, Caroline."

He nervously searched her eyes for a reaction after his bold move. He half-expected her to shove him away or slap him across the face. But a smile broke on her lips as she stared back at him, the stars gleaming in her eyes. He smiled back.

Lifting up his arm so she could wrap hers around his they began to walk away from the stage.

"Let's get out of here," he said, "before twelve angry hybrids decide to pick a fight."

She laughed as they continued to stroll down the aisle way of chairs and into the night.

* * *

><p>Klaus' arms rested over the railing of the balcony as he overlooked the night skyline. The bustling of the streets filled his ears, as he stood in silence. By now Damon and Stefan were probably back in Mystic Falls and Caroline safe once more.<p>

He imagined that she'd probably just go back to living her life not giving a second thought about him besides the gratitude she felt for saving her again. His heart ached to be with her, but he knew it would be foolish to leave. So instead, knowing she was still alive would have to suffice for now.

Thinking back to that night again when he declared his love for her, he knew exactly what he was getting into. He knew whatever was going on in New Orleans was going to change his life forever. The moment he found out he was going to have a child, he knew his life would never be the same. He knew he wouldn't have been able to stay with Caroline in Mystic Falls, and he knew he couldn't be there for her as much as he wanted to, but he still chose to confess his feelings for her because he meant what he said. He'd wait for an eternity to be with her, just so he could love her forever.

Tatia was his first love, but Caroline, Caroline would be his last.

* * *

><p><strong>I think this might be one of my longer chapters, but it doesn't seem like it? I can't tell. It just might be because I wrote smaller sections for this chapter. Its a habit that's transcending from learning screenwriting in my class... Hopefully it doesn't happen too often cause I enjoy writing long sections, but I always like my sections ending in "cliff hangers" for my readers to ponder on while they read another section. But we'll see. <strong>

**So I've been watching all the recent episodes of TVD and TO, yes, as you know, I am an avid viewer (not that I'm enjoying it). I mean, both seasons had so much potential, like its just sad how everything turned out. There were so many opportunities for crossovers or mentions, but JP & Co just brushed it off and look where they are now? TVD received its lowest rating this season on its last episode (like, it was so bad that it was lower than TO's rating). I mean, you'd think after all the twitter trends, and fan mail, and interviews, the writers would know what the viewers want (and I'm not just talking about Klaroline guys). I really just want Kevin Williamson to come back and write for the show, because I kid you not, seasons 1-3 of TVD were literally the best. And if not him, the writers here on fanfiction, like I've read the best stories for both shows here. Like wow. There was also this thing where JP asked YahooTV to post her 10 questions that she wanted fans to answer just last week and I put klaroline and defan in every answer basically. I just hate how the shows ended up. I hate how Damon and Elena are so consumed in their relationship, how Stefan is the only one helping Caroline through her tough times, how they've given up on saving Bonnie, how Liz is dying to push a ship, how all the guys are fawning over Hayley and Camille... like wtf happened.**

**Enough ranting. So I'm planning to go to Comic Con this year in San Diego and I was wondering what question I should ask the panel (if I get picked... hopefully). I might throw some shade at the writers, but I don't want to get kicked out, so I probably shouldn't. But lemme know what you guys have in mind and I will be your voice at the convention!**

**Another idea that popped in my head was that maybe I'll print this into a book. not exactly a book to sell or anything though. I just want to make a hard copy of my story. I did the same thing when I was in high school where I sewed the pages together and bound it to a hard cover. I'm thinking about sending it as fan mail to Candice Accola since she reads a lot of books. Maybe she'll read mine to see the potential her character had. LOL. Who knows. **

**Back to the story. **

**So now that we know what happened in both MF and NOLA, now its time to watch things unfold together. I won't separate my chapters by locations anymore. It's just going to be a mesh of MF and NOLA now that everything's occurring at the same time now. I don't want to give too much away, but we'll see what's going on with Bonnie and Kai, how Caroline finds out Liz has cancer and how she reacts, what Stefan's REAL secret is (not Sarah Salvatore, like wtf), what Dahlia's deal is, and what Matt is up to. A lot of shit to cover, so trust me when I say this story is far from over. **

**This will always be one of my favorite Klaroline scenes. My heart literally melts every time I rewatch this episode and every time I hear Klaus say those words to Caroline, I just cry *sobs ...one day guys, one day...**

**I might go back and re-edit this chapter later since it's late and I'm lazy and I have work early tomorrow, so forgive me for any errors. **

**CHAPTER QUESTION**

How do you think Bonnie and Kai will escape?

**As always, thanks for reading! Please share and review!**


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